The Ties That Bind Us
by breakingdawn77
Summary: Two years have passed since Danielle came crashing into Danny's life, now adjusted, they're sent someone from the future to help save the past. What threat lays over them? How is the girl with the amethyst eyes connected to all of this? Will they find out soon enough to save time itself? Only if they could have a normal minute. Sequel to 'Family Ties.' Cover Art by Silente faery!
1. Prologue

**Hey everyone! I'm so excited to introduce you to the next story in the series of Family one is called, The Ties That Bind Us. Thank you to my awesome beta reader, silente faery she's the one that came up with the title! Anyway onto the story. Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom, Nickelodeon does.**

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Time always amused the young halfa. Uncle Clockwork always taught her not to watch it as a parade, like the Observants did, but more as one whole piece of things that may or may not take. It was more fun his way.

"Looking in on your sister again, are you now child?" She jumped at the new voice. Quickly raising her hand to dismiss her watching on the orb, to avoid getting into too much trouble, she turned to look sheepishly at her uncle.

Casting her eyes to the floor to avoid contact, she mumbled, "Maybe."

However, this just earned her a happy chuckle from the elder ghost."You're so much like your dad when it comes to these things. What is Danielle up to?" She grinned, knowing all was forgiven. She was his apprentice after all; she did have some freedom to look at the timelines as she pleased. Besides, she knew she was secretly his favorite out of the three. She knew not to tell her little brother though, he'd get jealous.

"Danielle's the same. I think she and DJ are heading to the movies today, but I know this weekend she's taking me to the mall, while Tucker takes the kids camping. They've been begging to go. Poor Tucker got the short end of the stick on that one."

They both laughed at that. The techno geek, no matter how many years passed, was not one for camping.

Turning a dial on his staff, Clockwork brought up another time. Looking into the orb, he read, October 9th, 2010 and a scene came into focus of her sister, parents, Aunt Valerie, and her brother in law, Tucker, sitting in one of Mr. Lancer's classes. He always taught the most boring classes that would put her to sleep. Which, funny enough, Danielle was doing.

Once she took in her uncle's expression, she realized as to why he was showing her this. "I'm not going home today, am I?" His intimating red eyes settled onto her, a smirk slowly spreads onto his face.

"Nope."

She lets out a small irated huff of air from her lungs. "You've alerted my parents that I'll be gone for a few days, Right?"

He shrugged, "Few days, few weeks. Don't worry child, I told them." He said as he went to retrieve a medallion.

"I'm not a child." She insists, her tone argumentative. Clockwork just ignored her as he swiftly places the artifact around her neck as she asks, "Wait, a few weeks? I have school, how am I supposed to get caught up-"

However, before she was able to finish her sentence, a portal opened and he ushered her into it before it closed. "Don't worry Lilith, you're covered."

* * *

"Opf." She grunted as she landed on gravel behind the Nasty Burger. She quickly brushes the hair that was draped over her eyes back behind her ears; rucking it behind her ear. The sky above her was covered in dull empty clouds, no threat of rain came from them yet.

A thin sheet of ice layered the ground, but nothing like the biting cold that the December month would bring in a couple months. It was tolerable, even though she wished for jacket.

"Could've given me a warning, Uncle Clockwork!" Lilith shouted mindlessly into the air. "Great, I'm becoming more like my mother every day." She chuckled at her own joke. She remembered the time where that Elliot kid came to town and tried to get with mom, and dad had become increasingly jealous to the point where he'd stalk her, which made her mom shout angrily into the sky to ward him off.

The medallion swayed back and forth as she braced herself on her hands and knees, trying to regain her balance. Kicking her knee to the gravel out of frustration, the pebbles biting into the skin of her knee in the process, the halfa contemplates on weather or not to pull a Danielle, and flip off her uncle. But she decides against it, it was better not to annoy her uncle and focused on her task.

Before she was even able to gain her bearings, her mouth released the telltale blue wisp.

"Great, off course, not even a few minutes into this timeline and I already have to fight a ghost." Coming to a full stand, she turned to see the shocked expression of the hunter. _Wow, he's definitely gotten some upgrades in the future, dad wasn't kidding._

"Wait you're not the whelp. Where is he?"

"No, I'm mini whelp, as you like to refer to me." She beamed at the hunter, baring her perfectly white teeth. Showing no fear in her as she stood firm in her stance; unmoving and unwavering.

Hre scratched at his flaming scruff. "You're not Danielle." It was then that he noticed Clockwork's time travel device hanging around her neck.

"Ah. You're from the future. This should be fun. I'll be able to waste the ghost child's second child before she's even born. Maybe even make a pelt out of you."

Her eyebrows lowered in disgust. "You _do_ know how messed up that sounds, right?"

His eyes narrowed. "Shut up."

With that, he started stalking towards her.

"Crud." She whispered to herself, and then took off towards school, too tired from the time travel to fight back on the advancing hunter. All she could do was avoid his weaponry while she flew to her backup.

 _Yeah, he hasn't changed much._

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 **Ta-da! Now,before anyone wonders, this is only the prologue, so that's why it's short. Lol. Until next time, my lovely readers. Shoutout to my beta reader silente faery**

 **Edited-6-2-18**


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1! I'm so excited to get this story started! I now have a skeleton down; so I know what I basically wanna do with this story, I can't wait to write it all down! Anyway, please enjoy. Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom, Nickelodeon does.**

 **HOWEVER, LILITH FENTON IS MINE HEHEHE.**

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Two years had passed. Spring poured into summer, summer had swirled into fall, and winter was now taking its harsh claim over Amity. As the seasons changed so did Team Phantom, which was now their official name. Now that Team Phantom was a renowned worldwide corporation, it allowed people to make ghost hunting to be their career, and people could start as young as fifteen with parental permission. It was now a more government-funded career, with classes taught by educated people that had to get a degree in the field.

It also gave students that wanted to go into ghost hunting a scholarship into college if they wanted something other than ghost fighting, depending on their rank, how invested they were, and what skills they built up over the years. It worked like a grading system; the better the grades, the more scholarships were offered. While there was a grading system in Ghost 101, it worked more on the physical aspects, like gym, and either you passed or failed.

Ghost 102 worked on more of the science of ghost hunting, and was graded like a normal academic class. They were taught how to outsmart a ghost, how to hide from a ghost, and a better understanding of how a ghost thinks for self preservation. The students had to learn how to get out of tough situations that they may get into if a ghost were to attack them.

Danielle wasn't sure how many high school and colleges offered the ghost hunting classes outside of her town, but in town there were three classes: One taught by her grandpa, one by grandma, and one by Valerie's dad, Damien Grey. Also, her grandparents taught a few classes at the university, typically night classes seeing as it was a new profession.

Her dad had changed the most, while he wasn't the bulkiest around he was starting to lose his lean build and was gaining muscle from ghost fighting. He kept his hair about the same, and he now towered over Dash at 6'4.'' His crystal blue eyes, despite having seen so much horror and shit in his young eighteen years, had retained an understanding of happiness. He always said it was because of his family that he was so grounded in reality. He now wore a plain black t-shirt with his symbolic logo, and simple blue jeans.

She had also changed a little over the years. Her figure was now more refined at sixteen. However, not wanting too many eyes on her, she kept to her baggy hoodies, sweatpants and leggings, unless she was with Tucker, then she'd dress a little differently. Her eyes that matched those of her dad's stayed the same, and honestly so did everything else. She didn't need much of a change.

Her mom and Valerie stayed the same physically, other than filling out in the chest area a bit and gaining a couple inches in height. Valerie still was curvy, and her mom still had her straight figure, which always seemed to compliment her nicely.

Her mom was also growing her hair out now; it was just past her shoulders. Her signature clothing hadn't changed much, except for a different deep purple plaid skirt with black lining instead of the green; she had also traded her purple tights for black ones that stopped just above mid-thigh. A black belt hung loosely around her waist.

Valerie now typically wore a crimson red sweater and black jeans. She preferred to cover up, trying to protect her skin as much as possible if a ghost were to unexpectedly attack, unlike Sam who didn't give a damn, her own words being " _If I get a scratch, I get a scratch, I'm not going to worry about it,"_ to which the huntress could only shrug in acceptance. To each their own.

Tucker had changed along with Danny, getting more bulk in his build. It was not as much as the halfa but it added to him, and - to Danielle's utter disgust - made girls chase after him constantly, to which she'd secretly fire an ecto-blast at the fawning girl's ass over her boyfriend. He stood strongly at 6'2'', which still made her have to stand on her tiptoes to give him a kiss. Switching up his own outfit, he now wore a light baby blue hoodie with the logo embedded on the front, a white long sleeve sweatshirt was underneath. He also wore dark blue jeans that matched nicely, and a multi-colored beret of green, red and yellow. He was in his last term as mayor.

As of right now however, it didn't matter how many years had passed; Danielle was still sure that school was the embodiment of torture for teenagers. She had been out with Tucker last night, past curfew-which got her grounded-and she could feel her eyes start to droop. Drool started to pool in her mouth, threatening to spill over. History 2 was so boring, and Lancer hadn't changed over the years; his voice still put people to sleep.

"Ms. Fenton!" Her textbook slid from her desk, dropping to the floor, resounding with a loud _thud_. Bolting up, her eyes snapped open, sweeping the room, searching for danger. When she came back to reality, she saw her classmates staring back at her in laughter and amusement. Her only response was to shrink a little in her seat. What scared her most was the look of anger on her parents' face. ' _Sorry.'_ She mouthed to her parents.

"Ms. Fenton, do I need to have a conference with your parents? If the cause is ghost fighting, I'd allow it, but seeing as your dad over here is quite awake, something tells me that isn't the case." The glances she received from both eighteen-year-olds told her she didn't want that.

"No, sorry sir." He turned back to his lesson.

"Now, as I was saying-"

However, without much warning, blue breath escaped both halfa's, and before they could even comprehended to jump into action, the ceiling caved in.

Once the dust and rubble cleared from the impact of the cave in, two ghosts - from what Team Phantom could tell, one being Skulker, and one unknown - were in hand-to-hand combat. Skulker, unfortunately, had the upper hand in the fight as they pushed against each other to gain control against the other. His bigger build seemed to tower over her.

The girl looked no older than sixteen. The weird thing about her though, was she had almost the same costume of Team Phantom, complete with the DP logo, sleek green, black, and white colors and all. She had a round baby face, thin lips pressed firmly together, with a narrow scrunched up nose as she fought off Skulker. Her waist length hair was snow white, much like Danny's in ghost form, and her amethyst eyes narrowed in concentration on her fight.

There was something else she noticed about this new girl. A medallion hung loosely around her neck, with the letters CW imprinted in the middle that stood for Clockwork.

 _Just great._

 _Time travel. Can't we have a normal month?_

" _Amityville horror!"_ Everyone seemed to ignore Lancer's outburst.

The girl's head turned to the side, piercing daggers at the team. "A little help here, you guys?" She hissed through her teeth as she continued to struggle with the hunter.

The four broke into action. Valerie, Sam, and Tucker pulled bazookas from their backpacks, while Danny and Danielle changed forms, and all started striking the hunter with ectoblast after ectoblast. It was moments before he was easily contained in a Thermos.

The girl got up with the help of Danny. Rolling her shoulder, she groaned in anger and pain at discovering that her shoulder was dislocated.

"Thanks, dad." the halfa said.

Everyone but the four gasped in shock at hearing this girl call him dad.

 _Wasn't Danielle his only daughter? How many clones did Masters create?_ was the only thought from their fellow classmates.

Ignoring their shock, Danny continued as if it was nothing. "What's your name?" He came up to her, grabbing her shoulder, signaling that this was going to hurt, and she nodded in agreement, used to this by now.

"Lilith." she grit out between her teeth. He grabbed her forearm, placing one hand on her shoulder, and snaps it back into place. She bites her lips together in order to keep the silent scream from being released.

"What are you doing here?"

"I'm uncle Clockwork's apprentice. I'm from about twenty or so years into the future. Sometimes he has to send me to different times to test me so that I can learn to do things correctly. I don't exactly know why I'm here yet."

 _Oh, that made sense. Sorta._

"Wait," Sam cut in, placing her weapon back in her backpack and snapping the Thermos back onto her specter deflector belt. "I don't get it, why would Clockwork need an apprentice? He's the master of time. "

"Even the master of time needs a break too, mom. Humans and ghosts are a pain to watch over constantly. And don't even get me started on the Observants." She shuddered at the thought of them.

"Okay." They all turned to the new nasally voice that enters the conversation; Mikey. "There's something I just don't get. Your daughter, _from the future_ , just fell from the sky, and you act as if it's nothing. What made you so jaded that your future daughter coming here doesn't boggle your mind?"

In response, all fingers of the group, including that of her own, pointed to Danielle. "I was kinda the straw that broke the camel's back," She explained, with pride gleaming in her beautiful brilliant blue eyes.

He still was unnerved, his knee bouncing in slight agitation. "Shouldn't you be more careful of what you do here, haven't you heard of the butterfly effect?" That earned the nerd an eye roll.

"Why do people have the premise that time is so sensitive? The butterfly effect only happens in extreme cases."

"Do we have any more siblings in the future?" Dani asked.

Lilith turned back to look at her older sibling, "Yeah. He's a little shit too. He's thirteen." Lilith mumbled sorry when she saw the angered look of her parents at the swear word.

Well, they definitely had time to perfect it with Danielle.

That was when all hell broke loose.

Questions were thrown at her from the class, several all at once, one after another which eventually became a mess of words, shouting, and people who wanted their question answered. Poor Mr. Lancer couldn't even quiet the kids.

Danielle then offered Lilith a hand - even twenty years in the past the sisters had a special connection – and Danielle boosted her up onto Lancer's desk. Bringing her fingers to her mouth, Lilith let out a loud piercing whistle.

"Okay. Mr. Lancer has a class to teach, and I still have to figure out why I'm here. I'll answer only three questions, but then my family and I gotta get out of here. Now, one at a time and you better raise your hand. I won't answer if you don't raise your hand."

Paulina was the first to raise her hand, to which Lilith, with much disgust, picked her. "Do I marry the ghost boy?"

Lilith's eyes squinted in confusion at the eighteen-year-old, her mouth agape for a second, truly contemplating whether or not if this chick was for real. She could tell the rest of her family felt the same, and her dad was holding mom against him, trying to calm her with whispers into her ear so that she wouldn't go and attack the girl.

"Are you serious right now? I just referred to Sam as my mom. Wanna know why? 'Cause she's my _mom_ , they've been married for years in my time. My brother is three years younger than me, understand? My dad never leaves her for you."

The latina shrugged. "You can't tell me she amounts to much." Lilith, bless her heart, was mid-air, about to pounce on the older - older to her at least - girl when Danielle caught her by the waist, clutching her younger sister to her chest to try calming her baby sister.

"My mom is a world-renowned fashion designer that makes Danny Phantom clothing. Who do you think came up with my dad's logo? My _mom_." She stressed the name. She knew she was wearing out the word, but it was worth it to get it through this girl's thick skull, "She's also a great ghost hunter along with the rest of my family. My parents are rich, I don't have to worry about any college money wise, but I sure as hell don't flaunt it like you do."

The shallow girl sunk into her seat as all her hopes were dashed in that very second.

A smile played on Lilith's lips at the sight of defeat. "And another thing, you marry Baxter. Have fun with that. At least one of your children doesn't turn out as horrible as you. The other one is terrible, unfortunately. "

"So we have two kids?" The jock asked sheepishly, as to not upset the girl.

While Dash didn't raise his hand like she had asked in the beginning, Lilith let it slide; she was nice like that."Yep. My brother is actually dating your younger one, Ashlen is her name. It's cute, 'cause she's nothing like her mother. From what I can tell, she likes him for him, and not just his ghost half." She smirked at the girl who was now glaring at her. Not that she minded. Paulina didn't scare her, neither did her kid.

"What's the other one's name? Please tell me it's a boy, I want to keep the Baxter name going." The excitement that swims through him, angered her. He never changed. She had to bite back a growl that bubbled in her throat.

"That-"

"Why are we discussing this?" Mikey piped in once again. "She's from the future. This is only going to mess up the timeline."

That only pissed her off even more. "I have had training with the master of time himself. I think I know more than you're aware of. Have you ever met Clockwork? No. So shut up and sit down. I have to cut this short anyway. I really have to find out why I'm here."

She turned to her family. "Let's go to Nana's. We'll discuss everything there." They all nodded in agreement, telling Lancer that they'd pick up their homework after school.

"Race ya." She saw the challenge in her big sister's eyes as she transformed.

"Oh, you're so on!" With that, they sped off towards nana's house, Danielle just a tad ahead.

* * *

 **Yee. I personally love the idea that Danielle and Lilith are close, despite the big age difference. Anyway, let me know your thoughts! Until next time. (I know I said it'd be longer until I posted this story, but I just had so much inspiration for this one that I had to write.**

 **Shoutout to my amazing beta reader silente faery.**


	3. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2! Yeee. I hope you guys enjoy, please let me know what you think.I do not own Danny Phantom, Nickelodeon does.**

 **HOWEVER, LILITH FENTON IS MINE HEHEHE.**

* * *

Danielle grimaced in anger as she saw her baby sister ahead of her, but no matter how much momentum she gained, Danielle couldn't match her. _Shit, she has at least ten years on me. At least for now._

Nana's house was in view, and she knew her sister was going to beat her ass. Lilith phased through the front door, transformed mid-air and struck the famous Titanic-girl pose as she crashed into the couch. Pose still intact, Danielle phased through the door to see Lilith's silly pose.

A face eating grin laid on her lips. "What took you so long big sis, Keith here was almost done drawing me."

Looking to her younger sister, Danielle was finally able to take in her human form. Nothing changed physically for Lilith, except for the white hair turned jet black. Her clothing was a purple crop top with the iconic DP symbol, jean shorts, and slip on flip-flops.

Danielle gave a little chuckle. "Who's Keith?"

Lilith could not contain the heat that flooded her face. "He, I mean um, no one, nope just some average jock, guy, and really he's an asshole who I shouldn't even give my time to. Who..."

With that Danny phased through the front door. "Wow I know I had been beefin' up a little but man that is nothing compared to the energy you two have."

 _Oh thank gosh._ Lilith thought to herself.

Heels could be heard clicking against the hardwood floor and Pamela entered the sitting room, taking in the sight of the two girls. "Who are you?" She looked to Lilith. Surprise was evident on her face as she tried to connect the name to the face.

"Granddaughter from the future." She explained in a monotone voice.

The older woman just shrugged. "Okay. So, not going to freak out because this is normal now, no matter how many psychiatrist tell me otherwise. Heh, anyway do you want some ectoplasm filled cookies? Your grandma Maddie gave me the recipe; and a little bit of ectoplasm." Both girls nodded in excitement.

She looked to Danielle before moving to the kitchen. "Don't you think you're getting out of doing your homework young lady. Future sister or not, you have to keep your grades up. And If I hear one more time that you've snuck off with Tucker, I'll take you shopping to the most girl stores I know."

Shifting her eyes to the floor, she mumbles, "I'm sorry nana." The older woman smiles as Danielle sticks out her tongue behind her back.

Yep, that was her sister alright.

In the distance, a motorized scooter could be heard.

"Don't fill up on cookies; I have to bake my new great granddaughter a birthday cake."

Lilith's lips set in a deep smile. "No way, is that Ida?" Her eyes swept the room until Ida came into her view. She started to shake slightly in excitement. She had very little memories, if any, of grandma Ida when she was just a babe.

Pamela laughed. "Who else would that old bat be?" While Pamela's and Ida's relationship was strained at best, over the course of everything that had happened with Danielle, the two adults had started seeing each other in a different light, much to Danielle's delight.

A tear fell down Lilith's face as she remembered all the stories her mom told her about her Grandma Ida. She wiped the tear from her cheek. "Hell yeah, you bet your ass I'm gonna help you make it. Wait it isn't my birthday?"

Ida laughed. "She's got spunk, I like 'em with spunk."

Setting an elbow on her baby sister, Danielle let out a low, happy sigh. "Whenever grandma Ida meets a new grandchild, because we haven't exactly had a birthday yet, she makes us a 'first birthday cake.' Dani explained.

Lilith just nodded in recognition at her explanation.

Sam then entered the house. "Ah, I see you've met my other daughter, from the future. You know, I know Doctor Who is more my boyfriend's and daughter's show but I think maybe I should start watching it, that way I can make sense of my damn life again."

Ida laughed again. "Sweetheart, we both know that ain't gonna happen. Now help me start this lil' one's birthday cake."

Sam looked to Lilith as she tried her best to conceal her emotions. "Lil' are you okay?"

Lilith smiled. "Wow, not even an hour after meeting me and you already got my nickname down." She always had been a momma's girl, even though her mom loved both she and Danielle equally. Then again, there was an ongoing joke for years that Danielle was the 'favorite' because of the fact their mom never had to give birth to her.

The goth just gave a mindless roll of her shoulders. "Well I _am_ your mom, I guess."

"I'm okay," Her gaze shifted towards Ida.

Sam followed her daughter's eyes, seeing where her eyes landed. Slowly understanding dawned on her as to why Lilith seemed off. She tried to keep the tears at bay herself. She had always been close to her grandmother, when her parents were against everything she did in life, the elder woman always had her back, she was her strength in hard times. Knowing that one day she wouldn't be here to do that made her heart drop into the puts of her stomach.

"My middle name's Ida." The halfa's voice broke through the goth's sorrowful thoughts about her grandmother.

Her gaze immediately sought it's way back to her daughter, hope trembling on her lips. "What?"

The halfa didn't break her gaze from her great grandmother, but the goth could see the tiniest hint on the ends of her lips. "My middle name. It's Ida." Sam couldn't help the smile that slowly appeared on her own face. Inching closer to her second child, she placed her right arm around her shoulder.

"Yeah. That fits."

The moment was broken by Danny entering the sitting area once again. "I'm going to call my parents to let them know to get over here and what's going on." With that, he went outside to make the call; his boots thundering against the hardwood floor as he makes for a hasty exist.

Sam's gaze fixated on Lilith, an eyebrow slightly raised. "Does he seem to be on edge to you?"

Lilith just gave a limpless shrug, her dad was always alert for ghost, it became something to easily ignore for her. "You have to think, he knows Clockwork sent me here for a reason. He wants to find out why so the problem is fixed and I can be sent home as soon as possible. Plus he's not quite used to being so overly outnumbered by the amount of women in his life. Poor man just can't compete with all this girl power."

Her mom gives a soft hum in understanding, that slowly faded into a small chuckle. That was definitely her girl and she knew it. Sam slides into the kitchen with Pamela to help fix up the rest of the sugary sweets.

Tucker then finally got there, coming up to Danielle and embracing her. "So uh, Lilith. Who- um. Do you like your-um. You know, you probably have a brothe-" He was cut off by Lilith's ice cracking laugh; the poor girl had her arms wrapped around her torso and was now on the floor, rolling about her and efforsley kicking her legs into the air while the laughs fell from her lips.

As her laughs subsided, the second halfa in the room was finally able to speak. "You're worried that you and Danielle-" Cutting herself off once again, she burst into another little fit of laughter at the two people blushed in embarrassment. "Don't worry, _bro_." She emphasized the word to give him a hint. "Everything is as it should be. Your kids are crazy though."

"You sound like Clockwork."

As the laughter subsided, she hauls herself off the floor and sits back onto the couch. "Well, I do work with the guy. Pretty sure his mannerisms rubbed off on me."

Out of nowhere, Jack burst through the door with Maddie directly behind him. "I have another granddaughter! Where is she?!"

"Jack Fenton, if you know what's good for you, you'll place your boots on the mat. Fake foot or not that boot still smells and I will not have it stinking up the rest of my house!" Pemla shouted from the kitchen. The loveable goof did as told and placed his shoes to their designated place. Maddie did the same; although she didn't need the reminder like her husband did.

Bouncing up to the group, his hands shaking in balled fists, he asks excitedly, "Now where is she? Where is my other grandbaby?" His eyes screamed with unleashed happiness.

The group collectively pointed to the couch where Lilith and Danielle were sitting. Jack ran over and picked up Danielle in one of his massive bear hugs. "Hmgh, you seem like my first granddaughter."

Lilith chuckled at the image of her older sister being 'cuddle crushed' as grandma Maddie called it. She took a closer look at her younger grandpa. He wore the same orange jumpsuit that she had seen in photo albums and when she sneaked peaks of the past in her uncle's tower. His hair, while still having a few strands of black strands layered about, was starting to lose the color, and he now wore his hair in a ponytail. His new bionic leg was the same as ever, with its small wheels and gears speeding about. A few green cords ran through it, and it ended with well made fake opposable digits at the end.

"Glad to see some things never change gramps."

Jack released Dani and gave a hug to Lilith.

Jack puts Lilith down, hands still on her shoulders he gazed into her amethyst eyes with much intensity. "Now sweetie, you need to tell grandpa something very important about his future... Do I invent Rocket Boots?" He clasped his hands together, bringing his lower lip out, eyes brimming with unreleased tears in his child-like eyes. Lilith was so thankful that he did, because she didn't think she could say no to this lovable goof, no matter the answer.

Lilith's smile widened. "Yes, but because of your fake leg, you made yours into more of a jetpack than boots."

"Even better!" Jack yelled, bringing his arms up in triumph.

"So exactly why are you here? Not that I don't love meeting family members I didn't know I had but I have a feeling that if that necklace is from Clockwork he didn't just send you here to visit."

"You know I'm not exactly sure but..."A chill wisp of air escaped from each halfa's lips. The atmosphere changed suddenly after, causing a wave of cold to wash over them. Without notice, the front door flew past them and crashed powerfully against the far wall, as they saw a gigantic and deformed Mikey come pouncing at them. His skin was a sickly green color, the energy surrounding his form and channeling his power and strength. His eyes glowed a strange and powerful white color, filling his entire eyes.

They could all hear Pamela scream as she dropped the cookie pan - the clinking of the metal tin only sputtered for a second before it lay still - that she was just bringing out of the oven and grabbed one of her ecto-weapons that she now owned for protection.

"Aww," Lilith and Danielle groaned together. "I was looking forward to those!" Lilith whined.

The red headed releases ecto-blasts from the gun, hitting Mikey spot on, knocking to the ground. Sam's eyes widen in surprise. "When the hell did you get so good with an bazuka!?" A happy smile found its way on her face.

"Maddie's been teaching me for some time now."

However, the happy moment is cut short as Mikey began to stir. "Halfas! Must destroy halfas!" Pamela aimed her bazuka once more, but this time as she goes to fire, the trigger locked, unable to properly work. "Shit, this thing locked again."

Madies gazed fixed on Jack, a scowl took her expression. "Jack, how many times do I have to tell you, fix the trigger mechanisms!" The sweat started to drip off his face.

"I thought I told Danny to do it!"

The eighteen year old just ignored his parents for the moment. "Mikey!? What the heck?" Danny barely finished his sentence before he dodged a close blow. "Slow down big guy, we're on your side."

"Order, chaos, must restore order, must destroy the imbalance!"

Danny knocked Mickey against the wall, leaving dents in their wake. "Is it just me or has your vocabulary taken a hit too? Now stand down, we can help you if you just calm down!" He dodged left as Mikey's enlarged hand met nothing but air.

Throwing the enraged nerd to the ground, Danny could only look around helplessly; he couldn't just blast Mikey, he was still human, what could they actually do to defeat him? Everyone just stared back, also lost as to what to do. Unfortunately, Mikey stirred once more, and was back on his feet in mere minutes. "Halfa not understand, halfa caused this, _Halfa caused me!"_

With that outburst, Mickey charged forward at Lilith only to be stopped by a combined blast from Danny and Danielle. The blast proved too powerful for the beefed-up geek and he quickly stumbled to the floor, passing out in the process.

"Halfa... changed... too much..." He stuttered out as he fully lost consciousness.

Danny and Danielle brought their hands to their knees, bent at the waist, gasping for breath after their fight. The pants started to slow as their airways started to open and wind started to fill them.

Looking at Lilith, Danny raised his hand. "I think we found your first hint as to why you're here." Everyone just stayed frozen to their spot, shocked at what had just occurred.

Down on the ground, Mickey began to shrink down to his normal form, his skin turning back to the pasty pale complexion that was normal for him. His eyes returned to their normal, human color. Lucky for everyone, his pants just covered everything that needed to be covered.

The geek had returned to normal. Sam glanced at Danny. "It'd probably be best if you flew him home. When he's up and walking around, it'd probably be best to ask him questions. The last time we saw anything resembling something this crazy was when Desiree put a ghost spell on Tucker, or at least from what you told me."

Danny nodded in agreement. "Yeah."

* * *

From outside, a figure stood in the distance, just out of sight of the group's vision.

"Well," His deep gravelly voice cut through the stillness of the air. "That was dramatic and very interesting." His sinister grin gradually filled his face. An evil cackle left his lips as he flung his head back in excitement for a moment.

"I'm gonna have to look into this."

* * *

 **Bad guy alet! We'll have to see what happens next. Please review!**

 **Shoutout to my beta reader silente faery, 'cause she's awesome!**


	4. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3! Hey guys, not much to say on this one except that I hope you enjoy this chapter! Please read and review. Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom, Nickelodeon does.**

 **HOWEVER, LILITH FENTON IS MINE HEHEHE.**

* * *

Flying to Mikey's house, Danny landed gracefully onto the nerd's porch. Knocking on the door, he was greeted with a forty-year-old looking woman with fiery red hair and wrinkles stretched into her skin. Her eyes filled with worry at the sight of her son lying limp in Danny's arms. She ushered him in, almost shutting the door tightly behind them before Lilith pushed her way through.

"Did you follow me?" Danny asked her.

"Yes. This involves me as much as it does you, so I'm not leaving you."

Lifting on eyebrow, he decided to tease her a bit. "So are all time travelers this serious or did I never get you a puppy as a kid?"

Silence.

Well, that answers that, and after seeing the glare she shot him, he locked his mouth together. Figuring that there wasn't any point in arguing with her, he directed his attention to Mikey's mother to ask where to lay the worn out boy. She directed them upstairs to the boy's room.

After the best explanation either of the halfas could really give, they looked over him once more, seeing if the ghost that had done this had left any traces.

"Thank you, Danny, for making sure he's okay." They look up to see his mother wearing a grateful grin. She looked exhausted, defeated almost.

"It's no problem. It's my job to make sure everyone's safe. Besides I sometimes think your son is the only sane person in this town." He waved off the complement mindlessly, giving a boneless shrug of his shoulders. It was his responsibility to protect the town. Had been for years now.

Her face seemed to fall at his words. Her eyes screamed with sympathy.

"Still, I sometimes think we don't give you enough appreciation as to what you do. At the end of the day, you're still human. You're only eighteen, finishing your last year of high school. You have a girlfriend, friends, a daughter. I'm embarrassed to say I don't think I'd be strong enough to do all that you do. I know it's technically yours and your daughter's paid job now, but I know you two don't do it for the money. So no matter how much you don't think you deserve it, thank you, Danny."

He was about to reply, but before he was able to even open his mouth Lilith cut in. "Do you guys feel that?" Her eyes stayed locked on Mikey as she continued to speak. "I feel... I feel this sense of dread. Just utter misery. Rage, I don't know. It doesn't feel right." She trailed off, her eyes never leaving the sleeping nerd.

Danny had to agree. The feeling in the air, it wasn't right. It felt stale. Hollow even if that was the right term, but even that didn't describe it fully. It pulled at his stomach, making twists and turns. He could tell to a degree, Mikey's mom felt it too.

"The only time I felt this sense of dread was that one time your Mom heard me say Paulina's name in my sleep."

Lilith gave Danny a dirty look.

"She was working at Nasty Berger. It was ironic and I was laughing."

Lilith wouldn't drop the look.

"And now I feel uneasy for two reasons."

They looked to the sleeping nerd as he started to struggle in his asleep. He tossed and turned as if his nightmares were about to burst through. Without warning, he bolted up screaming and gasping for breath.

Mikey's mother broke through the group to comfort her child. "Sweetie, what happened? Are you okay?" Distress was evident on her face.

Mickey was still trying to catch his breath."It was so cold, everything was destroyed, our home, the school, almost the entire town and there he was, chasing me, not giving me an inch, and when I finally thought I outran him... well." His mother hugged him tighter, knowing what the end of his dream was.

"Whatever it is honey I'm sure it was just a dream. Let's just be glad it's over with."

Mickey's eyes surveyed the room until they locked dead on to Danny. "He was looking for you, he didn't want me, he was after you." Danny moved in closer to Mikey.

"Who's he?" Danny put a hand on Mikey's shoulder. Doing this seemed to cause him extreme pain, of which made his face contort in a strange and horrifying way. His back arched further than should be humanly possible, his eyes shut tightly together, so much that Danny could feel his pain. Looking at Danny with piercing glowing red eyes Mikey said only one thing.

"No more Nasty Burger, hey Danny?"

Danny wrenched his arm back as if he'd been tased. He didn't even think, he couldn't. Instinct took over as he went intangible and flew through the roof, leaving nothing but a trail of dust in his absence.

Floating high above Amity, Danny couldn't stop freaking out. "No, not him, it can't be him. _No_!"

He zoomed back to Fenton Works, possibly going faster than any of his previous records. He then phased through the building and into the room where he locked the door, shut the blinds, and then curled onto his bed, masking himself with his blanket.

* * *

Lilith looked at the ceiling as if he was going to return. "Yeah, thanks for waiting for me, Dad. Totally not awkward being left in a stranger's house."

Miky's mom looked at Lilith. "So… would you like a muffin?"

"What flavor?"

"Lemon poppy seed."

"Heh… Sure."

* * *

About a half hour passed when Sam knocked on Danny's door. "Danny I know what happened. Please let me in."

Hearing the word please fall from her mouth, he decided to comply. Danny slowly moved, to the door unlocking it and moved back to his bed.

Sam moved across the room, her boots clomping along the way, filling the empty silence. Sitting next to Danny, she softly settled her arm around his waist, placing a sweet kiss on his shoulder.

"You don't have to say a thing. I know what Mikey said and I also know what it means. But he is not you; you made that choice a long time ago. I also know the man I fell in love with," She paused as she brushed back his raven black bangs. He leaned into her touch as her fingers slid down to cup his cheeks. Her touch could always calm the storm in his mind.

"And I know that if he's not a stubborn blockhead trying to play solo hero we can get through anything together." With that, she laid her head against the side of his temple, conveying words to him that could not be spoken, showing him how she'll always be there for him. She was his and he was hers and they'd always have each other's backs.

And as they fell against his bed, wrapped up in each other's embrace, sleep starting to take them. No matter how the storm raged on outside, he had shelter in this woman's arms.

He had a home.

* * *

That home, however, did not last without Sam. In her absence, his anxiety boomed without warning. His heart beat rapidly and his breath was hard to catch. His body was heavy as he pulled himself from his bed to go downstairs for breakfast. Lilith and Danielle were staying at Sam's place for an 'all girls sleepover.'

Danny could only stomach a cold breakfast, some cereal, and milk. He couldn't stand any more than that. His gut was in clumps all morning.

The bad feeling followed him to school.

He couldn't bottle the growing anxiety. He knew no one else really felt it, except when Mikey was near, and then it'd fall on the group, wrapping them in almost a choke hold of dread and emptiness. Though, they attempted to ignore it the best that they could.

He could feel himself tremble in Lancer's history class. His whole body just seemed to vibrate. He couldn't focus on the words that were falling from his teacher's mouth; everything felt like miles away. The events of yesterday were still fresh in the young halfa's mind.

"Mikey." Lancer called out to the boy, his voice colored with concern, "Do you need to go to the nurse, young man? You seem ill."

Mikey looked up from his desk with barely enough energy to hold up his head. "It's okay Mr. Lancer, I'm here to learn and here to stay." His eyes held no genuine feeling to his statement. He looked so lifeless.

Danny wished he would take Lancer's advice. Him being in the room only drove Danny's nerves further through the roof. He had four more periods with this boy afterward and he wasn't sure how long it'd be before he went completely insane at the mere sight of him.

 _"No more Nasty Burger."_

The clock ticked louder than Lancer's dull monotone voice.

 _"No more Nasty Burger."_

Mikey's eyes locked onto Danny's and the poor halfa could not break away from him, no matter how much he tried; his willpower wasn't strong enough.

 _"No more Nasty Burger."_

The room gradually developed a red hue. Breathing started to become harder and harder with each tick of the clock. Did the air somehow get sucked out of the room?

 _"No more Nasty Burger."_

Everyone in the room faded away, except for Danny and Mikey. Anger suddenly took hold of the room, a hot breath trickling down his spine. Time slowly came to a complete stop.

 _"No more Nasty Burger!"_

Mikey's eyes met Danny's and he smiled a toothy grin and mouthed the cursed words.

 _"NO MORE NASTY BURGER, HEY DANNY!"_

"Dad!" He was pulled from his Mikey induced panic attack at the sound of his daughter screaming at him. He turned to meet Danielle, and saw nothing but a look of worry splashed on her face. He looks around the entire classroom, all eyes on him in utter terror.

Danny looked down at his hands to see them radiating bright green energy. Without knowing it he had transformed into his ghost form and was ready to pounce.

Danielle quickly grabbed her dad's arm, pulling him into the hallway to speak privately.

"Dad you look like you've seen a ghost. Like a scary ghost and not one we fight every day. Back to the point. Who is he?"

"What?"

"Lilith was saying something to mom last night about someone being back, and right now you were muttering something about Nasty Burger going up in flames. So unless you have a sudden phobia of greasy food and minimum wage workers I suggest you tell me who the hell is he?"

"Swear." But his voice did not hold the lecturing tone that it usually did.

She ignored the half-ass scolding. "Who is he?"

What she didn't expect was his downcast eyes refusing to meet hers. His voice turned cold and detached. Void of any emotions. "Someone you'll hopefully never meet. Now come on, Lilith texted me saying we're going." He turned to start heading to the exit of the school. She had to jog to catch up to him.

"Where are we going?"

Danny paused for a moment. "Clockwork's."

"Dramatic." Danielle said in a sing song tone.

"Let's just go." Danny says, sighing in a defeat at the sarcasm in his daughter's voice.

* * *

Lilith didn't know what to think of this Clockwork. This twenty year younger version of the time ghost that looked at her the moment they enter his tower like he knew who she was. He probably did, knowing him. He didn't change, didn't look any different. She knew time didn't affect him like humans. He still had red glowing eyes, the scar that trailed along his face and changed from baby, to adult, to elder every few minutes. Same old Clockwork. She knew all his tricks and trades. But this wasn't her uncle exactly, and that truly made her long for home, to be in the embrace of everyone she cared for and loved, including her uncle.

"I knew this was going to happen," Clockwork explained.

"How? He doesn't exist anymore! Even you can't see things that don't exist anymore." she knew that, he knew that.

"Because of you. You came shortly after your sister defeated the Shadow Master to warn me."

"I'm not even born yet? How's that possi-"

"You have to figure that one out Lilith."

She huffed, crossing her arms. " Yeah, time travel. You know I think I like my uncle Clockwork from the future much better."

"Have I have grown soft twenty years down the line? Also time is irrelevant." He gave her a kind smile.

She glared at his passive-aggressive teasing.

"As is your face."

"You know, for all the choices in all the timelines you just had to choose the lamest comeback."

Turning her back on him, she continued on with her questions. "Anyway… So I told you what happened because you can't see what happens?"

"That is correct."

"Wait," Danny breaks in."You've known about this since Danielle defeated the shadow master, because that's when Lilith came to you and told you, yet you decided to wait until now to inform us of _him?Why?_ "

"Because of time."

He bites back a growl of anger at the cryptic answer, and goes back to Sam's embrace.

Lilith continues her conversation once again,"So, what happens?"

"That is for me to know and for you to find out. I assume I sent you back for a reason. If you really are my apprentice twenty years down the line then I am sure you can figure this out."

"So basically, I came back in time, told you what happens, and yet, you can't tell me."

"Precisely." She groaned at him. "All as it sho-"

"Yeah yeah," She practically yelled into the empty air in front of her, placing her hands on her face and groaning in hopelessness. "I know, everything is as it should be! Why are you such a greeting card?" She looked over to her dad, Tucker, Danielle, and her mom all consoling him, trying to calm his frigid nerves.

"So, what? What was that with Mikey? How is he back?"

He grimaced in sadness. "I can't say. You and your family have to find that out. I'm lucky that I can help in any way that I do."

"I know a way you could help us." Danielle broke in. "Someone tell me who the hell this guy is!? It's such a shushed up secret, who is he? He can't be worse than Vlad."

The master of time sighed wistfully. "He's worse than you could image, child. I can't be the one to tell you. That is your parent's job."

She stormed off, taking flight, making her way back home. The group all looked in defeat. Saying their thanks to Clockwork, they took off after her, leaving behind a smiling clockwork.

"I can't wait to properly, meet you, young one." He whispered at Lilith's fading silhouette.

* * *

Lilith soon found out that her older sister truly took after their mom more than she had known in her entire life. With the whole big age difference between the two, they always spent time together, but seeing as the woman was well into her early forties now and she had her own place with her husband and kids, she had matured and grown into the adult that she had known all her life.

However, being able to be in the same household with a sixteen-year-old Danielle proved that her sister was not always that mature. The moment that they returned home, she ran up the stairs, slamming the door behind her.

"She'll calm down in a couple hours." Tucker reasoned, "She'll be back to her normal self. I have to go back to the office and settle some documents for the town. Let her know where I am if she wandered down here, okay dude?"

They were all now in their own daze, the horrible feeling now starting to take hold of the rest of the group since returning from Clockwork's, the feeling that Danny had been getting ever since their classmate had been controlled. Danny gave a nod in response, and Tucker took off.

* * *

Hours passed before Danielle came stumbling down the stairs, clad in her usual blue hoodie, jeans, and boots.

"I'm gonna go see Tucker for an hour or so." Her voice didn't have much volume to it, but could still be heard by her dad, sister, and mom.

"Okay, sweetie. Be back by curfew!"

Her strides were long; each step had a purpose, meaning, the water that had pooled on the ground from the open downpour splashed up to meet her knees every time. She didn't care about the rain hitting her, soaking her clothes to her body, damping her hair to stick to her face. She knew what she was gonna do, and she hoped beyond hopes that this would work.

She had to keep talking to herself from backing out of her mission. She could do this. She really could. Even when her conscious told her to run back home.

Entering the key into the hole, she slowly pushed the door open. Looking ahead of her, she saw Tucker at his desk, head bent, pen in hand as he wrote away on some documents. He looked up when he noticed her presence enter the foyer.

"Hey, babe! What are you doing here so late? You have two hours until your curfew, and it's pouring rain."

"I just wanted to really see you."

She sauntered over, swaying her hips back and forth, seeing her intended goal ministering in his eyes. Once she was mere inches from him, she pulled his chair from around his desk and then braced both knees on either side of his waist, wrapping her arms loosely around his neck.

She saw the shock fill his face and how it froze. She laughed silently at how bold her actions were turning out. She smiled in triumph as he had to gulp down some nerves that bubbled up. 'I'm sixteen damnit. I can do this.'

"Hi." She smiled a toothy grin.

A weary expression flickered across his eyes. "Baby, what're you doing?" She tried to smile innocently enough.

"Oh, nothing."

She could see the small cracks in his resolve, but he still held firm. "This isn't nothing. We're allowed to date because your parents allow it, I'm eighteen Dani. We can't push our luck. Besides, this isn't you, you blush whenever I give you a goodnight kiss."

She sighed in defeat, knowing he was right. She leaned back a little, but still keeping the position. "I know. I just... I need to know what's happening to dad. No one is telling me. It's really getting on my nerves being kept in the dark. What if something happens to me because I didn't know?"

"We will never let anything happen to you ever again." Tucker vowed, nothing but sincerity and promise sprinkled in his eyes.

Removing his hat, she ran her fingers through his hair, trying to calm them both. "Honey, we both know there are some things that are out of our control. We can't pretend that something won't happen because we wish it. But we will all be together when these things happen."

Danielle repositioned herself so that she was lying across Tucker's lap, no longer having to _ac_ t innocent. "You three have been doing this longer than I ever have, sure I had to survive on my own for a while but deep down I just don't wanna be caught in the dust when it comes to fighting these guys. Out of nowhere, there's this ghost so powerful it makes my hero complex dad shake in his boots. How can I not worry about that?"

"Listen pookums, I'm not hiding this from you. I want you to understand that, it's just not my secret to tell. What I can tell you is that we learn from our mistakes and when he is ready to tell you just remember that everyone is capable of both great and bad things. It's what we choose that defines us."

Letting her fingers dtangle from his hair, she lets her hand slid down to cup his cheek. "Okay, Mr. Mayor. When did you get all poetic and cheesy?"

Tucker kissed Danielle for a good couple of seconds. "Ever since I fell in love with you."

 _"Ew!_ Honey, you got that cheese all over me." They both gave a chuckle at that.

His fingers started misnersting small rubs in circle motion on the back of her hand. "Oh, you know you love it."

"I know I love you." Danielle, being a little cheesy herself, grabbed the loose part of his shirt, pulling him up from his chair with quite a bit of force and pulled him in close for an exceptionally passionate kiss.

She released Tucker as he gasped for breath and smiled a wicked grin as she leapt from her seat on his lap and walked away.

"Night, Mr. Mayor." The words sung from her lips.

As the door closed behind Danielle, Tucker picked up his phone.

"Hey, Jazz I think it's going to be one of those _long_ nights for your niece. Yup, I'll make sure it's unlocked for you. You sure that's where she's going through? Okay, you _are_ her Aunt. Talk to you later. Bye."

Tucker took in a deep breath of contemplation.

"Damn, that girl was about two seconds away from me having my first political scandal."

* * *

Danielle looked at her clock as her room sat in silence. 12:01. _Good enough_. Danielle pulled her clothes from her dresser, and scrambles into an all-black outfit and flies out her window towards downtown.

Upon making it to the library, Dani went intangible and phased through the walls with ease. She made her way to the computers, powering one up. It took a bit for the machine to warm up but once it did she wasted no time logging in to the Ghost Database, something that had been set up months prior so that in case her family was indisposed at the moment and the town needed to know what they were up against, so that they knew whether or not to fear the ghost. The blue screen lit up, reflecting against her entire face.

She almost felt eyes watching her from every angle, every corner as she started looking through the files. She didn't feel alone, and if she didn't need to know about this ghost, she'd left by now. She twirled around once to double check to see if someone was watching her, but found none.

"You're just overreacting Danielle." She tried to convince herself. Shaking off the feeling, for now, she continued on her search."Now how do I find you mystery ghost?" She looked through ghost after ghost but none of them matched anything like the others described. Finally, it hit her. She moved the cursor to the search bar and typed in 'Nasty Burger Explosion'. Enter.

"Password required!" The voice echoed throughout the deserted building, putting Danielle on edge even more than she had already been.

"Let's see, Grandpa made this security system so this shouldn't be too hard to crack. Now, what would he use as a password? No..."

Feeling the need to slap the aging man for his stupidity she entered the words "password one, two, three."

"Access granted with limited restriction."

 _Limited restriction? Wow, this guy must be bad._

The screen in front of her read 'Ghost X'. _That doesn't make sense, the only time I've heard the name ghost X was when Aunt Jazz was mocking Skulker._

As Danielle read more and more of his profile she began to shake a little. This ghost was not Skulker. "This guy wasn't just bad he was the worst, worse than Vlad. How can someone so evil actually exist?"

Danielle jumped in terror as she felt a hand grab her shoulder.

"It's okay," Jazz whispered, "It's just me."

Placing a hand on her racing heartbeat as she tried to calm it, taking a deep breath, she exhaled in relief at the sight of her Aunt. "Auntie Jazz, What are you doing here?"

"I was on my way home for the three day weekend when Tucker called me." Jazz looked to the computer screen. "Ah, him. Come on, I think it's time we convince your dad to have a little family talk."

* * *

Jazz opened the door for Danielle where she saw her family sitting in the living room, concern on all their faces.

Danny stood up from his spot on the couch. "You are in so much trouble, but we'll talk about that later. I think it's time I tell you the truth." Danielle sat on the ground in front of him as her father explained his darkest secret. "We call him Dark Dan."

The more he described the situation the more emotional he seems to get. Eventually Sam and Lilith ended up holding him as the tears flowed from his eyes. Danielle herself couldn't help but cry a little.

"I thought I was protecting you by not telling you, but if he really is back then you have every right to know. I guess I was just trying not to relive the pain."

Danielle stood up and jumped on her father to give him a hug. "It's okay dad, I know you're good and everyone here does too. I'm sure if we find some way to get through to him too we can..."

" _No_!" Danny said in a harsh voice. Quietly, he continued, "No. I'm sorry, I know we try to save everyone we can, but there are just some people who can't be redeemed. He isn't just _bad_ he's everything evil from both me and Vlad. There's no reasoning with him and if you try he _will_ use that kindness against you."

Danielle looked to the ground in defeat. This person was once her father, yeah maybe a little bit Vlad but how could Danny Fenton, the loving dad and boyfriend, be something so terrible. "How could you have fallen so far?"

The voices still echoed in his dark twisted mind as he looked down at Fenton Works, the rain not even threatening to extinguish his flaming locks.

 _"How did you become this?"_

* * *

 **Dun Dun Dunnnnnnn. Dark Dan is back and read to wrestle.**

 **Question time! How is Lilith connected, and what had she told Clockwork over a year previously?'Cause it's obvious that she's connected…. But how? And how, with Clockwork knowing for an entire year, why didn't he warn Danny and the team?**

 **All shall be revealed.**

 **Anyway SHOUTOUT TO MY BETA READER, SILENTE FAERY**


	5. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4! Hey guys, not much to say on this one except that I hope you enjoy this chapter! Please read and review. Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom, Nickelodeon does.**

 **HOWEVER, LILITH FENTON IS MINE HEHEHE.**

* * *

They exited the Nasty Burger, having looked from head to toe around the establishment with no luck of finding even a hint of Dark Dan. Danny could still feel something, however. Something watching them. It hadn't gone away since Mikey, and he feared it never would.

"You know," Valarie cut through his train of thoughts, "It kinda makes sense that this place is clean. I mean if I were him this would be the last place I would visit."

"I guess, but that's not really him either; he thrives off of pain and the more twisted the better." Danny knew how he worked all too well. It made him sick that something that twisted could come from him.

Within seconds, Danielle's stomach began to grumble, demanding that it'd be fed. She kissed Tucker on the cheek. "Hold on sweetie. I think I should pick something up before we go, I'm starving. Think you can give me the ol' Mayoral discount?"

Tucker laughed. "You know just as much as I that I can't. Now go on, I'll be out here with the group."

"Come on, if you come in with me I'll let you have the first sip of my shake." She batted her eyes at the innocent mayor but to no avail; he wouldn't budge.

"As tempting as that sounds, I'm gonna stay out here."

Dannielle gave Tucker a pouty face. "Fine Mr. Grumpy, guess I can have the whole shake to myself."

Danny stuck his tongue out, faking a gagging motion. "Come on you two, you're making me sick."

Ignoring her Dad, Danielle quickly ran back into the Nasty Burger.

Danny looked at Tucker. "Do you two have to be so sickly cute? Can't you two just give it a break for five minutes?"

He shook his head, the heavy smile never breaking from his lips. "Nope, not so long as there is breath in my lungs, I'm giving her all I got. Besides, you're one to talk; you and Sam get this way every now and then."

Before he could retort, the group heard a loud bang coming from the burger shop. They looked back to see the back of the Nasty Burger on fire. Danielle was pressed up against the front inside window, pounding on it with all her might. Her brilliant blue eyes darkened with nothing but terror and misery.

"Sweetie!"

"Danielle!"

Floating above the Nasty Burger was Dark Dan, his hand glowing green and aimed directly at Danielle. "You think you can have this life!? Your life, all your lives belong to me! Now watch as you pay the price for denying your destiny."

 _"No more Nasty Burger!"_

 _"No more Danielle!"_

Danny and Tucker lunged forward as the sky turned white.

Heat filled the air.

Leaving nothing but ash.

* * *

Danny bolted up, screaming at the top of his lungs. A thin sheet of sweat dripped down from his forehead and covered his whole body. His breaths came in heavy pants, his chest heaving, trying to grasp each individual gulp of air.

A hand was placed onto his bare chest.

Turning, he was faced with a worried expression from Sam, hair frazzled with bedhead. Violet eyes ridden with sleep."Hey, shh. You're okay, sweetie. It was just a nightmare. We're in your bed. Everyone's safe."

He looked around the room. Nothing but darkness from the window and silence filled his room. He started to take deep even breaths to calm his racing heart.

"Where's Danielle?"

Her eyes landed to the door that lead out into the hallway. "She's in her room. I think she, Lilith, and Jazz are having some girl time."

"I'm gonna check on them." He lurched from his bed, crossing the hall to his daughter's room. He sighed in relief when he opened the door to see the girls playing a game of Monopoly. All the girl's were clothed in Pj's, and gathered around a monopoly board, Jazz bolding the deice. His daughter's intense stare fixed on the game, her hair was done in a simple braid, probably done by Jazz if Danny knew his sister at all. Danielle smiled as she saw her dad enter.

"Hey, dad. It's the weekend, its okay if I stay up late, right?" He didn't answer her, however, and just crossed over to her, sweeping her up in a massive hug.

"I love you so much kid, you know that, right?"

She pulled back, confusion evident on her face, but decided to give him a kiss on his check. Her endless blue eyes studied him for a few minutes before she replied with, "Of course. I love you too daddy. I think you need to go back to bed though." She gave a small laugh to ease the awkwardness from his jittery being. Pushing him back to his own bedroom, she gave her mom a secret look of concern, to which Sam gave a small nod in an unspoken reply.

Once Danny climbed back into bed, wrapped up in Sam's arms, the young goth decided right there and then that she was going to get him to relax, if it was the last thing she did.

* * *

He woke, arms going out to Sam to cuddle with her, but his hands only clutch the bed sheets. Once he realized the bed is empty instant fear bubbled inside.

Danny phased through the floor into the kitchen where he saw Sam and his entire family sitting around the table in what looks like a family talk. The whole group was present, including Valerie and Sam's parents. His racing heart slowed a bit at the sight of everyone there.

"Sweetie," His mom began and instantly he wanted to crawl back up to bed and hide underneath the covers. "We think, with the recent news, you need a moment to relax." His mom held nothing but sincerity in her eyes. But she didn't get it.

His leg started to twitch, bouncing up and down between every second. "I can't just take a day off you guys. He's out there somewhere. Unleashed and ready to hurt people. We don't even know what he exactly did to Mikey. How are we supposed to ignore that?"

They all looked at him as his left leg slightly jittered back and forth uncontrollably.

He wasn't going insane.

He wasn't.

"Simple." Both Lilith and Danielle said at the same time, interrupting his self doubt. Which made them giggle.

Lilith continued on, "Grandma, grandpa, Valerie, papa, nana, and I are going to keep our eyes out, try to find out as much as possible. I'm here for a reason, remember? And you have a relaxing day in the meantime."

He was about to protest when Sam, Danielle, and Lilith started to corner him. _Shit_. "Don't you three dare." But they did. They knew his weakness.

As they stalked towards him, they all interlocked their fingers together, bringing a small part of their lip out, and widened their eyes with small unleashed tears. Two pairs of amethyst and one pair of sky blue eyes were looking at him directly, doing their best to break Danny's resolve.

"That's not even _close_ to fair!"

The three laughed and responded with, "Tough," as they crossed their arms over their chest. They definitely took after their mom.

Rolling his eyes, he relented."Fine. So what do you three deviants have in mind?"

Tucker stepped up. "Well, I have a brand new state of the art entertainment system with an HD Game Sphere 4, or GS4 as people call it. With all the junk food you can eat. I'm talkin' wings, pizza, burgers, chips. Pretty much everything you're going to regret in your forties.

Maddie pulled her son cloer, patting his hair into place. "And then Jazz has her own thing planned for the both of you, and then Sam. We basically have your whole day booked up, and if help is needed, we'll know to call you."

Danny honestly couldn't believe all the thought that was put into this, and while he was still on edge, feeling like he needed to check his back every moment to make sure no one was there, he knew he needed to let go. If only for a little while.

* * *

The two made their way to the grand entrance of the mayoral office. Looking around, Danny could see paintings of all the previous mayors and as of Tucker's request, Vlad's was replaced with the photo of Vlad wearing only his boxers being ridiculed by paparazzi. Of course, the current mayor had his painting placed above the giant fireplace. Looking at the desk, Danny could see pictures of all his friends and family, even Danielle wearing her two piece swim... suit.

When Tucker left the room, Danny, quickly and without guilt, plasma blasted the swimsuit photo of his daughter.

Tucker walked back in when he noticed Danny was no longer following him "Hey, do you smell something burning?" Tucker asked.

Danny gave an ominous grin, shrugging his shoulders in his usual clueless way, even if he wasn't so clueless in that moment. "Must just be the fireplace."

Tucker gave a heave of his own shoulders. With that the two moved on to Tucker's prized game room.

The room was gigantic, with an equally giant 72" TV and a buffet filled with all the junk food that had been promised. Speakers lined each of the four walls from top to bottom. Two tan plush, comfy looking seats sat right in the middle, game controllers attached.

"Wow, Tuck this room sure is something."

"Yup and it's all courtesy of my leftover campaign money."

"Is that even legal?" Danny gave him a sideways glance, honestly questioning whether or not Tucker was safe from the government.

Tucker pulled up his hood in a dramatic fashion and in a raspy voice said. "We will make it legal." After a fit of coughing Tucker cleared his throat, and pounded his chest. "Wow, those hot wings are strong."

The first hour was horrible. Danny couldn't stop his eyes from sweeping the room every five seconds, or pacing the room whenever he said he 'needed a break.' His hands were shaky at best as he held the controllers to the game. But Tucker could tell after about a good hour and a half of gaming and snacking he was slowly starting to loosen up; the techno-geek could almost see the tension leave the halfa's body.

"Thanks, Tuck, I guess I needed this more than I thought. I'm actually having a little fun kicking your ass."

Not even a few minutes after Danny's shoulders slumped, the boys were interrupted by a surprise visitor.

Danielle's head phased through the ceiling, the only thing visible of his daughter was from the neck up, all the while she stayed upside down. "Don't hurt him too bad Daddy, because in two short years, that ass is legally mine."

Tuckers face turned bright red. "When the heck did you get so bold?"

When she didn't give him an answer, Danny buried his face into his palm, a strangled sigh was muffled behind his hands.. "Two years aren't long enough."

Dannielle looked at the buffet. "Wow, wings!" She swooped down and started to devour the remains of the buffet. With a full plate, and mouth, she sat on Tucker's lap. "So Daddy, how is your day off going?"

"It's going good so far," Danny tried to avoid eye contact after seeing where his daughter was sitting. "You know, it's very rare that I worry about these things, but how long have you been okay with sitting on his lap?"

Danielle's face turned red. Grabbing one more piece of chicken, she phased down through the floor leaving a mess of her leftovers all over Tucker.

Groaning, he went to grab a rag to clean the mess off. "Don't worry man; _I'm_ respectful when it comes to these things," Tucker responded to Danny. "Besides, do you how many cameras are placed around here? You have nothing to worry about."

* * *

After a little more gaming, Jazz stopped by to pick up Danny for his next activity. Her grin stretched from ear to ear.

 _Oh boy_ , Danny thought. _I wonder what the bookworm has in store for me?_ He got into the convertible, despite his better judgment of what his bigger sister had planned.

But to Danny's surprise, when they arrived at their destination he was happy to see that the boring museum was filled to the brim with displays for a new exhibit, The Space Program.

She smiled as she all but pulled him from the car, ushering him inside. "So, what do you think little brother?"

Danny couldn't help but smile. This was to his surprise, completely awesome. There was even an exhibit on the events people called 'Phantom Planet'.

Everywhere he looked there was something he had heard of growing up, only this time he could practically touch it. He'd never actually admit how much he enjoyed it, for the simple fact that he knew what a big ego it'd give her.

The feeling of dread started to fade a bit more. Dan would always be at the back of his mind; knowing that monster was loose would haunt him until he was locked away, but for a few hours, he could relax and enjoy this. He needed a few hours of humanity.

After quite a bit of looking around, they saw so many new and amazing things: Different constellations, how the first spaceship was made with a model in place for display, and his favorite of all, an interactive tour where they show how small the sleeping quarters were in the ship and what it was like to have to get dressed and clean in such a confined space.

Suddenly Jazz's phone vibrated. As she was reading the text she said, "Alright, well my part of the day is done." Jazz quickly typed away on her touchscreen keyboard and pocketed the phone once done. "Okay, close your eyes."

Doing so, Danny felt his sister's hands pressed against his back as she guided him to her car where he could only guess where he was going. He could feel the wind whip at his face as they sped down an unknown road. He could only hope they were still in Amity.

* * *

After a short time, they reached their destination.

"Open em' up little brother."

Danny opened his eyes to see Sam sitting on a blanket atop the hill where they first confessed their love. He had a nagging suspicion that this was perfectly timed so that Tucker and Jazz had him cooled off with his fears by the time this was all set out.

Jazz opened Danny's door.

Danny smiled. "I think I got it from here Jazz."

Danny walked up to Sam where he saw a little basket next to Sam and the blanket. It had just reached twilight when he sat next to her. For a while they said nothing, they just sat and watched the sunset. A peaceful air had always settled over this spot no matter what was raging on in the world. They always had solitude here.

"There was one point, right before we got together, that I had honestly wondered if you if you would ever get the hint that I liked you."

Danny looked at his girlfriend, shocked for a moment that she broke the comforting silence. Scooching closer to her, he subtly placed a light around her waist. "Come on, you know, well we both know that I liked you way before we sat here the first time."

Her fingers started to brush against the strands of grass beneath them, keeping her eyes on the setting sun."I know, but I'm kinda glad we took our time. I mean, we both dated blockheads over the years, you _way_ more than me." Bringing her fist up to her mouth, she gave a fake cough between Paulina's name.

He playfully brushed his shoulder against hers. "Yeah yeah, I get it. Why are you bringing this up though?"

She brought her legs in towards her, crisscrossing them, moving her gaze down to her lap. "Well, it's just that we have been dating for two years now and it's been a crazy two years. First, we find out about Danielle and while hectic at first I couldn't ask for anything more from her. Now we have Lilith and dark Dan is on the loose. Well, I just think some things can't wait anymore."

"Sam, what are you saying?"

Sam reached into the basket just as the pitch blackness of night took over the Amity sky.

She pulled out a ring that glowed bright green.

"Sam is that a ring?"

Sam couldn't contain the heat from her face."It was made from a chunk of the Ghost Meteor that you saved the world from. It was that same day we sat here and well... but don't worry, I had Tucker insulate the material so it no longer harms ghosts."

"Sam I..."

"Don't you dare say it's the guy that has to do this because I will freakin' slap you right now. You have no idea how nerve-wracking this is and if you think… And don't you dare say anything about our age. We have a sixteen-year-old at eighteen, we've saved the world, we face dangerous ghosts daily, I know I love you with my whole being, I don't want anyone besides you and..."

Cutting her off from her long-winded speech, Danny kissed the goth for as long as his lungs allowed, lifting his hands to softly graze her cheeks. As the kiss slowly ended, he tucked a flyaway strand of hair behind her ear.

"Yes."

"Really, I mean I had this whole speech planned and everything I just and you just, just..."

"Sam, I've always loved you. This... this is perfect. So yes."

The two embraced in a giant hug as Jazz and Danielle screamed off in the distance, almost dropping their cameras. They came running, bursting from their hiding stop behind a few bushes, everyone pulling the newly engaged couple into a massive hug of their own, knocking them to the ground.

Pulling back, Danny couldn't help the smile that broke out on his face. For all the things that everyone did for him today, they did it with love and true concern for him… without complaint. He had to blink back the tears that had started to form.

"Thanks, guys. You don't know how much today meant to me."

"We always have your back, dude." Tucker said.

"Whether it's kicking back or kicking butt." Sam echoed the words Tucker had used so long ago.

"No matter what, we're family. In the end, that's what matters."

* * *

About half a mile away down an alley, a figure stood in front of a converted dumpster. "How nice. I wonder what I should get for the happy couple? Oh, I know!"

"Hey what are you doing by my house," asked a scruffy man, pointing to the dumpster.

Laughter emitted from the figure. "You will do just nicely."

The figure pointed his hand at the homeless man. Purple light engulfed the man as he screamed in pain, transforming into something no longer human.

"Ah, so that's how you do it."

* * *

 **SHOUTOUT TO MY BETA READER, SILENTE FAERY**

 **What does Dark Dan have planned? Just have to wait and see. Until next time!**


	6. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5! Trigger warning, This chapter does contain mention of past abuse and blood. Please read and review. Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom, Nickelodeon does.**

 **Lilith is mine and shall always be mine! *Evil laughter***

* * *

Danny walked through his front door breathless. He had no words to say as his soul had yet to re-enter his body. In his head – and more importantly, in his heart – Danny was on cloud nine. Jack got up from his spot at the table and ran at the two engaged teens with all his might, picking them both up with the tightest hug the two had ever experienced. "I finally have a daughter,"

"Ehem" Jazz yelled from outside.

"In-law." He corrected, "Daughter In-Law!"

Maddie came running after Jack with tears in her eyes as she did her best to produce a word from the English language. "You two...babies….eightteen...only. Just babies! _Married!"_

Even without knowing her exact words, Danny and Sam could figure out what his mother was saying. Jazz came in from behind the two lovebirds and held Maddie as she collapsed in Jazz's arms. "It's okay, Mom. We all knew this day was coming. Some of us knew way before others though." Jazz said, giving Danny a sly look.

"What exactly is that supposed to mean?"

Danielle came in next and hugged Sam nearly as tight as her Grandpa just had. She accidentally transformed out of pure joy and phased halfway through the floor before she giggled, noticing what was happening. "I can't believe it. My parents are getting married. I'm the only kid in the world who can say that without the slightest bit of guilt from a Preacher!"

Tucker came down from hiding upstairs and gave Danny a punch on the arm, followed by a big techno geek hug. "So, I take it you are going to want to rent out the Town hall. Now just because you're my best friend doesn't mean I can give you a discount."

That earned the cocky mayor a harsh glare. "How about the fact that I saved your butt more times than I can count? And you're dating my daughter."

Tucker paused for a moment, his fingers little stubble that had started to line his chin. "I can do fifteen percent! No higher."

Danielle grabbed Tucker by his ear and yanked him to the ground, but was careful not to put _too_ much pressure into her hold. "Okay, okay! Thirty five and that's it."

Sam went to stand next to her daughter, squeezing her side in a wordless thanks for defending them. "I was thinking more of a nice, old, gothic, style church."

Tucker burst out laughing, arms flinging to his abdomen as he tried to not tumble over. "Aren't you afraid it will burn down if you stay there too long?"

Sam rolled her eyes. "Ha Ha. But seriously, I do have fire retardant socks and before you ask yes they are black."

After a bit, the group sat at the table, with Jack recounting old stories from his college days and how he _wooed_ Maddie. Once Maddie regained her composure she told them the story of how she and Jack met for the first time. Everybody laughed at the part when Jack tripped over his untied shoes and knocked Vlad into the county swimming pool, which was still frozen as Wisconsin winters lasted until June.

As _he_ looked through the window at the happy scene, a tear ran down his face. It was hot and burned with sadness long forgotten, only fueling his anger even more.

It began to rain, masking the fallen tears.

* * *

Red and blue lights shone through the cracked, dirty window.

"Mommy," asks a little boy no more than ten. "Where is dad going?"

An older woman looked down at the little boy, tears falling from her bruised eyes. She held him close to her, placing tiny kisses on his head. "I promise that no matter what happens you will always have me. Okay, sweetie?" The woman tried to give her best-broken smile.

Two men wearing dark blue uniforms entered the room. "Ma'am, we are going to need to ask you a few questions about," The man stopped dead in his tracks at the sight of the boy. "The nature of this incident." The woman walked into the other room with the blue men. All the boy could think of was how the red and blue lights reflected off the older woman's bright orange hair.

Rain once again took over everything.

* * *

There he stood looking at _his_ own mother from a distance, hidden and alone. Just how it was meant to be. She didn't really love him, how could she with his other half being the thing she had vowed to destroy. But now, now that other half was all he had. All he needed.

He had seen all he needed. He gripped so tightly his palm threatened to bleed as his nails cracked the skin.

He flew away to Casper High, which was now as empty as the night. He floated above Lancer's desk as ghosts began to talk around him. So many ghosts filled his head and refused to leave.

"Danny," A hand was placed on his cheek. He looked up to see a faint figure in front of him; he could almost make it out to be Sam. But no. His Sam was dead. So was the rest. "It's not too late, we miss you, the real you."

He closed his eyes.

"You're not real! You are never real!" Opening his eyes he saw his old classroom in pieces. They were only shadows in his memories now, even when they haunted him.

"It's better this way. Trust me."

Fleeing from the school, he only had one destination in mind.

Clockwork's.

* * *

His feet met the ground with a heavy thump. Just by being at this place almost sent a shiver through Dan's spine. But no, he wouldn't let human emotions control him. He wouldn't let humanity take control.

The time ghost had his back turned to him, only showing his plum colored cloak. "I was wondering when you'd get here."

This only angered Dan more. Clockwork was so calm and collected. Storms could be striking about him, yet he wouldn't lift a finger to stop it. He only carried on with what he was doing.

"You know what I want, old man. I don't belong here and you know it!"

Clockwork chuckled. "Yes, and what you want no longer exists anymore, not in this timeline or any other. Now leave, there is nothing for you here."

"Why have me leave so fast? Wasn't I your prized possession for all those years? Why do you want me gone... Ah! You can't capture me yourself can you, that's why you sent the little Phantom brat... to do what you couldn't. Well she's not going to stop and neither will you. I'm going back to my timeline!"

With that Dan lunged forward at Clockwork.

"Time out!" Clockwork yelled. Dan was frozen in place, his eyes following Clockwork as he moved to and fro.

Emotion was starting to break though his harden extintor. "You should not exist, you still being alive is just wrong! I sent Lilith back to avoid exactly this. While you were in that thermos, I was able to put you on a shelf and ignore the fact that I had the most unstable being in presence. But now I have a feeling getting you back in that tube will be more trouble than it's worth. Now you have given me no choice. _I was being kind_."

From behind, Clockwork opened up a portal and inside was pure white.

His eyes never left Dan's as he spoke, "You see, each and every choice one makes has the possibility to create a new timeline, or to put it simply, each choice creates a branch in the timeline."

Clockwork looked back at the white portal. "This portal behind me is the space between timelines, between those split branches. It is a void of pure white and nothingness where once sealed nothing can enter or escape."

Clockwork's stare bored into Dan's eyes.

 _"You should have stayed in that thermos."_

Clockwork stepped to the side of the portal, leaving it directly in Dan's path.

"Time In!"

Dan could not control his aim after being frozen mid lunge. He flew directly into the void as it sealed permanently.

Dan's hand plunged directly though Clockwork's being, his face distorted with anger. Nothing but pure evil masked his face.

"And _you_ should have watched me more closely!"

Clockwork seized in pain as his being began to shrivel. His head shot back as pain filled his entire body. His hands shook as he tried to get Dan's touch off of him, but to no avail. The pain that coursed through him was becoming too much for him to handle.

"Ah, so that's why you sent the girl. You can't even touch me. You are the being solely responsible for correcting time. That being said, when something is out of time, something like me, and it comes into contact with your high and mighty ass, you have that power drained like a used battery."

"You need to stop _this._ You can't control that much power. It will consume you. You will cause an imbalance for all of existence if not used correctly!"

"Well, if you're right and I can't get back my own timeline, I will take that as a close second. Now, Time Out!"

Nothing happened.

The sound of heavy breathing from Clockwork as he was doubled over in pain reached his pointed ears."You may have those powers but you have yet to master them. Let me tell you, it will take far more than brute strength to do so." Clockwork grit through his teeth.

"Oh trust old man, time is on my side."

Dan aimed his hand at Clockwork and fired a green glow at the now shriveled up ghost. The energy began to harden around Clockwork as he reached with all his effort toward his seeing orb.

"Well, it looks like these powers have quite the perk. If it's impossible to get my timeline back, I won't lie, there's no use for me being here. But if I'm going down, I'm taking the Fentons with me. He's going to feel my pain all those years ago. See ya around, gramps."


	7. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6! I really hope you guys enjoy, sorry if it took an extra day or so, kinda got caught up in family craziness. I do not own Danny Phantom, Nickelodeon does.**

 **Lilith is mine and shall always be mine! *Evil laughter***

* * *

Lilith woke with a sharp gasp. Flinging herself upward, she could tell something was wrong before she was even able to completely wake so her senses went on full alert. Lilith could tell this room was off as she looked around; it did not look like Danielle's room. She turned to her left to see the side of the bed empty, which was strange because her sister had been sleeping there prior to her falling asleep.

The room she was in was light beige with a desk, TV, and mini fridge.

 _Am I in a hotel?_

Lilith stood up, her feet making a slight thud as they hit the ground. As she moved, she noticed that things in the room were not in the right place. Nothing resembles Dani's room. The more she moved the weirder she felt as if her body had changed overnight.

"This better not be a puberty thing because I don't think I can handle this amount of weird."

Walking over to the mirror, she was hesitant to look into it, fearing what other things her "Ghost Puberty" could have done to her.

Finally, she gained the courage and opened her eyes. When she looked in the mirror she saw a man with raven black hair that was long enough to be pulled into a ponytail. He had a large build, with endlessly rolling muscles. He wore a plain black t-shirt and plain blue jeans.

"Dad?"

* * *

Lilith woke physically shaking, with sweat stuck to her skin; her hair was matted to her cheeks and forehead. Her pants were heavy and uneven until she slowed her breathing. She looked to her left to see her older sister dead asleep, just as she should have been, with her inky hair spilled over the entire pillow. At least she hadn't woken her.

Lilith then saw a quick succession of blue flashes downward. Her eyes traveled down to see that the medallion, which still hung around her neck, was sitting comfortably on her lap glowing an icy blue. This indicated a message from her uncle. Turning the dial, she waited for the pre-recorded message.

"Lilith." Her uncle Clockwork's soothing even voice filled the small space. "I know you're on your mission at the moment, but there is a very important assignment that I need you to do back in 2008. You'll know what to do; I am your teacher after all. Don't doddle. Now hurry, someone's in trouble. Oh, and make sure not to wear the wrong era's outfits again. We do not need a repeat of the Renaissance Disco Girl"

Looking at the empty space in front of her, she mummers to herself, "You show up to the Queen with an afro one time and suddenly you start a historically inaccurate trend. In my opinion she looked better with those parachute pants."

Sighing, Lilith turned the dial that he would pre-program for her if a mission came up inside a mission. While confusing, this actually did happen a lot.

The portal opened to a crowded convention center filled to the brim with ghost hunters and trackers alike. The former dread that had settled over her instantly washed away as she entered the different time.

Her eyes surveyed the new territory. Con booths after flanked both sides as an endless sea of people that crowded together in a small vancinity. "No way, is this the convention mom and dad went to when they were my age?"

Everywhere she went she could hear booth after booth yelled out their spiel.

"Any volunteers? We're looking for volunteers for Negative Reinforcement of ESP."

"Antique Golden Box! Only opened once in the thirties!"

"Salt here! Get your salt here!"

"Analog TV with voice command!"

"Dr. Malcolm Crowe at your service!"

"Shoeless Joe Jackson here signing autographs!"

"Dolls for sale. Normal dolls, literally any and every doll!"

Blocking out the loud cries of lies from the sellers, she searched for her intended goal. "Okay uncle, what exactly is wrong with this part in time?" Lilith whispered to herself as she floated intangibly above the crowd. She looked all around but could not see any sign of a ghost or irregularity.

"Dear, possessed turkey it is!"

' _Is that who I think it is?'_ Lilith thought to herself. Looking down at the crowd she saw grandpa with her entire family. "Wow, Danielle was young back then." She smiled in amazement at the young fourteen-year-old. The differences between this Danielle and the sixteen year old wasn't to big, if Lilith was being honest; but the biggest change was that she had dropped a lot of her baby face in the two years. Clothing same style, hair always kept in a low ponytail.

Lilith looked at the group in awe. She had never seen her family like this and to her, it was awesome. She couldn't figure out why she was there though.

She decided to follow her grandparents as they visited Ed and Lorraine Warren's booth, making sure that she stayed intangible.

"It is such an honor to meet you. You two inspired us when we were kids to follow our career in ghost hunting. Will you please sign my commemorative Conjuring Fudge Container?"

 _Same old Grandpa._

Lilith thought for a bit. "Wait, that's not right!" She accidentally said out loud.

Jack looked around. "Did you say something, Maddie?"

On grandma's waist was a little device that was blinking bright red.

' _I know that, that's the Fenton Finder! It shouldn't be blinking like that.'_ Lilith floated down to look at the device. Putting her hand through the device, she was in awe that her grandpa could make such a simple mistake.

' _He forgot the freakin' batteries!'_

She went to one of the booths and took batteries out of one of the ghost toys. ' _There that should do the trick. Maybe I should stay around just in case things go south.'_

Well as it turned out, Clockwork always knew what he was doing. Lilith watched the events of the con fight take place. She almost stepped in when Danny was attacked but something deep down told her it wouldn't have gone well. Besides, if it were really out of place the medallion would be glowing. Still, Lilith liked seeing these younger versions of her family so she decided to watch over the group as Danny healed, in secret of course.

* * *

It had been a couple of hours. She watched her parents through Danny's window, with them completely unaware of her presence. Both Danny and Danielle were fast asleep while Sam walked nervously between the two, talking to them as they slept and periodically kissing each forehead.

"I'm not sure if I'm ready for this, but if anyone is worth it, it's the both of you." Sam's word echoed through Lilith's mind.

She knew her sister was an oddball when it came to her and her parent's ages but she never realized how that would affect her then-teenage parents. "No wonder how she can handle DJ."

"Udi, come on we gotta get home. It looks like our nightly walk is getting a little too dark."

Lilith looked down at the sidewalk to see the most adorable corgi she had ever seen growling at what seemed to be nothing. When she got closer to investigate her medallion glowed bright green.

"What's wrong little guy?" Lilith asked the dog as she came closer.

"What the heck was that?" The dog's owner questioned. He was a larger man, but the moment he heard Lilith, he took off like a bat out of hell, the dog taking advantage of the confusion to escape his master's grip. Without warning, all the streetlights in the area went out, leaving the street in complete darkness. Even the light from the medallion was drained.

"What the heck is going on here?" She said.

Glowing eyes looked at her from across the street.

"You may think I can't see you ghost, but you're wrong. Whatever meddling you might be trying to do, don't. Stay out of my way and just let this be." Lilith could just barely just see the being smoke up towards Danny's window.

"Oh no, you don't creeper!" Lilith shot a plasma blast at the shadow to gain his attention. "You stay away from my family!"

"I warned you!" The shadow hissed at the young halfa.

The shadow lunged at her but Lilith dodged it without any difficulty. After landing on her feet she blasted the shadow once more, only this time actually putting some power behind his punch. Upon impact, the shadow went flying and landed right next to the corgi as it lifted its leg and proceeded to mark the shadow.

" _I really wish I didn't have to capture you due to the fact that my thermos will smell like corgi mess all week."_

Aiming the Thermos, the shadow was sucked into the vacuum.

The medallion stopped glowing and a little chime came from it.

"All good in this hood. With that, I should head back to 2010." After pressing on the medallion, she was transported instantly to the future.

* * *

However, something about this was strange; the room she was in seemed somewhat familiar but she couldn't place why. It was like she was seeing it again but also for the first time.

She looked around at the people in the room. Checking her medallion, it read 2019. _Huh, that can't be right? Why would uncle send me here?_ Looking around, her eyes focused on a familiar group beneath her.

There she saw Grandpa and Grandma, mom and dad, Danielle with a huge belly sitting ever so close to Tucker. Aunt Jazz stood on the other side of Danielle with her husband and daughter next to her. Then there was a little girl standing infront of her parents, acting all innocent, but from Lilith's personal experience she knew she was not.

"Wait. There's someone missing." She heard her grandmother say.

The door to the room began to open when the medallion glowed bright orange and sent Lilith back into the time portal.

* * *

She was suddenly transported back. She was back in Danielle's room. Lilith checked her medallion; 2010. ' _Phew._ ' Lilith looked over to see where her sister lay in bed. The young sixteen-year-old was still fast asleep, her raven black hair sprawled out beneath her pillow. A small drop of drool hung from the corner of her mouth. "No doubt, you're dad's kid." She looked so peaceful while she rested.

 _What was the heck that? Uncle always had the dates set correctly to where he wanted me to go, even if I'm already on a mission and have to go another. What was that?_

Lilith gave a shake of her shoulders, trying to shed whatever ominous feeling that had settled over her from earlier when she first woke that was creeping its way back. She knew now what anxiety her dad had felt. Eyes watched constantly from every part of the room, almost as if they were the walls themselves. She suddenly felt claustrophobic.

"Lilith." She turned to see Danielle, sitting up in bed now, though nothing but sleep filled her eyes. "What are you doing up?" Lilith didn't have the heart to mention the short time travel to the past – and briefly to the future – and decided to come up with the next best answer.

"Had a nightmare. I couldn't sleep after that."

"Well, how about you come over here and tell me about it." That was the Danielle Lilith knew, the caring and wise woman that she often got advice from on a daily basis. After telling her about the horrible nightmare, Danielle pulled her into a loving embrace.

Danielle's voice slowly gained a soft volume."That wasn't a nightmare. I used to get those kinds of things when the Shadow Master was around; they're not just dreams but reality. We have to be careful. And we have to tell mom and dad in the morning, got it?"

All Lilith could do was give a weak nod. "That sounds more like you. The wise older, mature Dani that I know."

"I become mature?"

"Yep, and it's kind of like having two mom's. It's really nice at times. Other times it can be challenge."

Danielle stuck her tongue out in mocking disgust. They both broke out into fits of laughter at that. "Do you think you can sleep now?" Danielle asked, motioning to the spot next to her.

"I'm not sure."

"Well, how about I help with that." Both girls turned to see Aunt Jazz enter the bedroom carrying two laptops. She set them on either side of Danielle's desktop computer that was in the far right corner of her room. Pulling out the chair – the four wheels squeaking slightly against the hardwood floor – Jazz quickly pulled up her Psychology notes on sleep deprivation from nightmares.

"Okay, when I was researching up ways on nightmares for a paper I had to do at school, I came across an article saying calming scents, like honey or lavender, can help lull you sleep. I've kept it in my files for emergencies such as these. I think I have some honey scented lotion." She went over to her black purse that she had dropped by the door while still sitting – if only her aunt knew how much she enjoyed being in a chair - and rummaged through it until she produced the calming lotion.

"Ah, yes!" She rolled over to the bed where both sixteen-year-olds sat, handing it to Lilith. "Okay, let's see if this works." She rubbed her hands with the lotion as her aunt gave both girls a kiss on the forehead, and headed back to her own bedroom.

Soon enough, even with all the fear she had from the nightmare, the soothing honey scent eventually lulled her back to sleep.

* * *

Danielle wakened to her clock reading three in the morning, feeling thirsty. Walking downstairs quietly as to not to wake anyone else, Dani made her way to the kitchen.

She was surprised to see her dad sitting there with a cup of milk in his hands. His hair was unkempt; she could see that bags had started to form underneath his eyes and his pale complexion was more pasty than usual. His eyes were void of any emotion except exhaustion, fear, and anxiety. She could tell he still wasn't getting the right amount of rest.

"Daddy?" She moved towards him slowly as to not startle him. His downcast eyes moved up to lock onto hers, sending worry to travel down her spine. "Are you okay?"

"Oh, Dani. It's only you. Yeah, I'm good. Just... Just a lot on my mind."

"Dan?" When he didn't give her an answer, she moved to sit across from him at the table. "Dad, you're letting this eat at you. I knew the day out would only last so long, but you have to find a balance with this. I can see the fear in your eyes. It's not healthy."

The cup that was gripped tightly in his hands began to quiver in tiny waaves. "I know, but after Mikey, and now that homeless guy. What is his next move gonna be? How is he doing this? Did he gain new powers?" Danny's voice was now becoming higher with every fear of his festering at the mere idea of his evil self. "How-How did he get stronger? Was it something I-"

Before he could escalate his already growing anxiety, Danielle rushed over to Danny, engulfing him in a tight bear hug. "Whatever happens dad, we're in this together, no matter what. You can't get rid of me if you tried."

As his daughter held him, Danny could feel all his worry and fears start to slowly slip away. No, it didn't fix everything. But feeling loved, knowing he had something to fight for, made it worth it in the end.

It made everything that had happened in the past several years worth it.

 **Shoutout to my awesome beta reader, silente faery!**

 **Okay, so this chapter was probably on the shorter side, but it had important elements that will definitely come into play later on in the story. I hope you guys enjoyed, and please comment and let me know your thoughts. Until next time you guys!**


	8. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7! Thank you for the comments reviews, I really appreciate them, and they always inspire me to write! I hope you guys enjoy! I do not own Danny Phantom, Nickelodeon does. I will take claim over Lilith though; MINE**

* * *

Her mind had to be playing tricks on her. Something was missing from her, but she couldn't place it; it was like it was swirling in her mind's eyes and she couldn't bring it into focus. Ever since she had somehow gone into 2019, she felt like she had the perfectly matching puzzle pieces but she just couldn't connect them. Something was buried deep in her mind, and she couldn't place what it was.

And it was starting to take its toll on her mind.

Every jittery step she took, it screamed inside her mind, Every waking second it clawed at her brain like nails to a chalkboard. The anxiety her dad held now was claiming her, and she didn't know how to calm the storm racing in her head.

With that feeling in her head, Lilith couldn't shake the feeling of forgetting something, or _someone_ more like it. A tall dark shadow of a figure. Her mind couldn't produce much more of that. As of now, she was sitting on the couch with her head in her hands, trying to force herself to get a grasp of what the hell she was forgetting.

Her family could tell she was off in her own mind. She assured them that she was fine, just missing home was all. They didn't completely buy that, especially her sister and dad, but they figured she'd tell them when she was good and ready.

"Sis, are you sure you're okay?" Lilith lifted her face from her hands to see Danielle looking at her, the older halfa's eyebrows knitted together in serious concerned. She tried to smile reassuringly, but she knew that it was only half-assed.

"Yeah, I'm just tired. Dad's anxiety is slowly rubbing off as well with everything that's been happening." Finally giving her sister a good once over, she noticed the bowl in her hands filled with globes of sweet delicious fudge. "What the heck Danielle, where did you get all that fudge?"

Danielle put another cube of fudge in her mouth as she responded to Lilith, words almost unable to be comphrened with her mouth stuffed with the desert."Grandpa's secret stash, well one of them at least of them, why?"

"Aren't you worried about all that sugar. Wait, are those chips too!"

Danielle grabbed at the bag, stashing them behind her in order to keep them to herself. A look of surprise overtook Danielle as she glanced at her sister. "You have got to be kidding me. You have to know… You have amethyst eyes."

"Yeah so…?"

She shook her head, ridding herself of the intrusive thoughts of playing a fun game of ectoblast chase. "Never mind. Lucky little…"

However, she lets the rest of her words die on the tongue instead. Danielle held back a few chuckles of her sister's frazzled expression as she tried to piece together what her older sister was about to say before she cut herself off.

Hastily changing the subject before Lilith could figure it, Danielle went with her best option. Movies. "So… How about we pop some popcorn and watch a scary movie? Hell, let's make a marathon of it and stay up. It's only nine in the morning, I bet you five bucks I can make it longer than you."

Danielle's eyes narrowed in acceptance at the challenge. Yes, she knew Lilith was trying to cover up her obvious exhaustion and fear, but maybe she could relieve whatever is running through her little sister's mind with a blood-curdling movie.

However, as soon as Danielle popped Annabelle into the DVD player, Lilith could feel her head drop on Dani's shoulder, sleep overcoming the little willpower that she had as she was wrangled back to dreamland.

* * *

Lilith didn't know what time it was when she woke, but the sun was higher in the sky, indicating that it was about noon time. Wiping the spit that had formed around her mouth, she sat up to examine the room about her. She was the only one in the room. Wasn't Danielle here, watching horror movies with her? Maybe she had to step out to do something and didn't want to wake her.

Suddenly, something sweetly intoxicating filled her nostrils. Moving from the couch, she went to the kitchen, taking careful, even steps as to avoid spooking anyone. The scene around her started to feel weird, very distant, like everything wasn't bounded into reality and nothing was in reach of her body. She saw her dad bending over the oven, pulling out a fresh sheet of oven-baked cookies.

His hair was pulled back into its usual ponytail- _wait, ponytail? That's not right, or is it_ \- His very muscular build – was it always that big? – was kept at bay with his white, long sleeve T-shirt and button-down plaid shirt. "Hey," Lilith called out, causing him to turn to her.

This only freaked her out more in a way. This had to be her dad, but in the same way, it wasn't. The feeling that she had with the dream and the hotel and seeing this guy in the mirror, it was completely different. Same guy, different feeling. At the hotel, she felt what this guy felt, like she was in reality and everything was real and she was somehow him. However, this felt, almost like a dream or... a memory of some sorts.

This guy had a chiseled jawline, high cheekbones, and a well defined narrow nose; it was her dad, but in some sense, it couldn't be, it just couldn't be. "Yeah, kid?" His voice was even deeper than that of her dad's.

However, a wave of familiarity settled over her. She felt herself become embedded into whatever this was; she became dazed. "Where is everyone?" She asked. This was her dad. It had to be, yeah. This was her dad. "Where is Danielle?"

After the guy settled the pan of cookies onto the counter, he quickly removed grandma's oven mitts. "She went to the movies with your mom and everyone else. I decided to make some cookies. Only because your birthday is coming up tomorrow." Her birthday? Yeah, right. It was her birthday. Her fifteenth. Yes, that's right. It had to be.

The rest of the day was spent cooking, building forts in the living room. She missed doing that, he was gone so often, no – _that wasn't right. Dad's always here_ \- and she loved being silly with this guy. She now remembered that her mom had said the night before that she, Danielle, and the rest of the family were going to the movies today; to which Lilith had said she wanted to stay home and enjoy some TV. The sun has started to set an hour ago, and Lilith and her dad were having a popcorn fight, the floor was a mess, and she knew her parents – _her mom would be mad, dad was right in front of her, making the mess right along with her, right_ – He couldn't be mad at something they were doing together, right? That didn't seem accurate though. Her dad was gonna be mad when he saw the mess.

She held her hands up in surrender, saying, "We need water, one second." She went to the fridge. Turning back to her dad, she was met with nothing but thin air. Out of nowhere, she heard footsteps from the hallway, and moments later, Danielle appeared.

"Hey, you're up, and getting us water? Eh. I'm thirsty anyway. You lost the bet by the way. You fell asleep ten minutes in." Lilith looked at the girl with utter confusion written on her face.

Lilith's eyes shifted from the water bottle in here hands, to Danielle, to the front door, and back to the bottle in her hands, her eyes filling with questions as to what was going on. "Weren't you just at the movies with mom?"

"What? No. You and I were having a movie marathon; I was just using the bathroom. You were asleep for about an hour."

"Where's dad then? We were just goofing off a moment ago?"

Again, the look of confusion flashed across her sister's face. "Dad went over to mom's house to discuss wedding planning with Nana and them a few hours ago."

Danielle moved to the living room, to only gasp in horror of the state of the trashed living room. Popcorn, blankets, and things of the like, scattered about. "What did you do in the ten minutes that I was gone?" So she hadn't been asleep when Danielle had left the room to use the restroom. She had been fully conscious. Lilith knew she wasn't a sleepwalker. She had been awake when this happened.

"That's not possible. You couldn't have been gone for only ten minutes. I just spent most of the day with..." She trailed off as reality brought her out of a daze. Shaking her head, Lilith realized the situation around her. She wasn't with her dad minutes ago. She was with Danielle. They were watching a movie. Her sister had never left the house. It was only ten in the morning now.

Her parents weren't here. She had been alone in the minutes that Danielle had gone to the bathroom. She hadn't been dreaming either.

 _So what the hell happened?_

"Did I hallucinate all that?" The question was spoken, but it was directed more towards herself than anything. Danielle was now giving her a strange glance, worry evident on her face. Approaching her, Danielle lightly placed her hand on her younger sister's, checking for any signs of a fever, only to find nothing but a normal temperature.

"You won't believe what happened." She said to her sister.

"Lemme guess, you saw a ghost?" Sarcasm was evident in her voice as she removed her hand from Lilith's forehead. Danielle's lips tugged downward at the ends with a frown, her brilliant blues sprinkled with worry, but it lessened just a bit at the feel of her usual cold skin.

Gripping her sister's wrist, she shooed away the comforting hand. "Haha, very funny, smart ass."

"Language!"

"What are you, mom?"

"No, but I've been saving for that ever since I've met you. Anyway, what is going on lil' sis?"

* * *

He was just sitting there tall, dark and beefy. His hair tied into a ponytail, he was wearing a plaid short-sleeve shirt and blue jeans that when he walked in hugged his ass tighter than a scared koala. Maybe her thoughts were a bit raunchy, but he was so good looking.

"Hey Izzy, you gonna talk to him or are you just gonna keep on starin'.'"

The waitress snapped out of her daydream. She blinked a few times to regain her focus. "Oh yeah, I was just..."

"I know what you was doin', now how about you go take Tarzan's order before the gorillas get here."

A heated blush gradually rose up into her cheeks, spreading throughout her entire face. She walked nervously to the man.

"Hello sir, welcome to the Rusty Ghost Diner, our specials are; make your own..."

"I'll have two eggs in a poke, and three sausage links." He interrupted, his gravelly voice was nothing above an emotionless monotone. He kept his eyes glued to the menu, Studying the laminated paper a bit too much in her opinion. He was refusing to give her a glance.

Taking out her notepad and pen, she quickly jotted down his order. "Okay... Two eggs in a poke with three sausage links. Comin' right up." She tried to not be off-put by his shortness. He was just another customer; he wasn't the first with such a rude attitude towards her, and he wouldn't be the last. She had just started to walk away when he realized his coffee cup was empty.

"Miss, can I get a refill, black no sweetener?"

He looked up as she turned around, dropping his cup when he saw her face only to have it shatter on impact. She gave a small jump at the harsh sound that clashed over the quiet chatter from the other diner's.

"Sam?"

* * *

He didn't even want to be there. Something had happened to him that hadn't happened in years He felt hunger. His stomach begged, no demanded, food. It honestly made no sense whatsoever. He was a full ghost, or at least he should've been, but ever since he had come back from Clockwork's and being able to transform, everything was throwing him for a loop.

He figured, if he was going to extract his revenge, making Danny suffer— along with the Fenton's, but Danny was his primal target, he wanted to watch Danny as he started to feel hopeless as he drained the life from everyone that he loved— and die in the process, why not have a little meal before he went.

Entering the cozy diner, his senses are hit with the sweet savory smell of pancakes, and waffles; invading his nostrils with a warm maple hint dancing in the air. The sizzle of bacon and eggs meeting the open flame in the skillet on the stove top met his eardrums. It all smelt mouth watering and his stomach rumbled in demandence. It forced his senses to go into overdrive, making his primal instance need for food to take over.

Red worn out, cushioned bar stools lined along the long counter in front of him. A man that looked to be in his mid twenties, well built with small shoulders, short sandy brown hair, and glasses to frame his calm sea blue eyes stood behind the counter. His hands played on the register, counting off some money. He wore a typical uniform of a dress shirt, clean black jeans, and an apron representing the name of the restaurant with pockets to hold their notepad and pens.

Behind the man manning the register was an open window that allowed easy access to place the food. That way, food and orders could be easily received and given between chef and waiter. One of those order rotator things that Dan had only seen in movies sat still on the counter of the window.

His steps were awkward, he staggered with every step, his moved almost uncoordinated, as he stumbled on the brown worn out carpet, moving to a booth.

He needed to eat, and soon.

The wooden panel that lined the wall brought a middle of nowhere diner feel to it. Small lights hung from the ceiling at every each table. Scooting into the far end of the empty seat, he pushes himself as far into the corner as much as space would allow. The beige torn leather of the seat scrunched up as he slid across the tiny way.

Stupid food.

 _Stupid human needs that I now have to keep up with, otherwise I'll feel like this. Weak._

He thought about simply robbing this place and blowing it up in a fiery rage, however, thinking twice about it – which was weird because he never thought twice about destruction – Dan decided it was best to lay as low as possible so his weaker younger half couldn't find him and step on his plans as they were still developing.

He didn't expect this girl, this waitress.

This, _Sam_ , was the only way to describe her.

"Um, no but I will clean that up for you." Her voice brought him back to the situation at hand. Her voice was soothing; it wasn't light, it carried a heavier tone to it, something that could only remind him of his Sam.

She was on her way back to the kitchen, and without a second thought, he bolted up and grabbed her arm making sure not to hurt her.

"You're real." His words were in awe. This was real. She was real and he could actually touch this person. She wasn't a figment of his imagination. She was a real, breathing, human being. The universe must hate him. It was playing with what little humanity that had been buried every day. The universe had to know she was his trigger. He could see the way her eyes scrunch together, baffled at the situation at hand. Her sun filled irises switched his own eyes and his hand gripping her wrist.

"Yes, I am and you are really holding me right now. So..."

"Oh."

He retracted his arm as fast as lighting, his finger's finding their way to the back of his neck. "I'm sorry, I have a little bit of PTSD I'm still dealing with." It was hardly a lie, the memories of the explosion, his family, his friends, his _love_ , still haunted him every moment he blinked; enslaving his mind.

She gave him a light, kind smile. It just screamed Sam. He suddenly felt like they were on fire and the only solution would be is to run away from this. From her. "It's okay, everybody has something, just thank you for explaining." His heart that he hadn't felt in years started to pound in his ears out of nowhere.

"Listen, I'm also sorry for being so short with you-," His eyes traveled done to her nametag, giving it a once over. "-Elizabeth. I haven't been back for too long and I'm just having a hard time adjusting."

Her smile widened further on her face, if that was even possible at this point. "Please, I hate my full name. Call me Izzy. So you've seen combat?"

He paused, She even hated her full name. He felt lightheaded. The floor seemed to sway slightly under him. Answering her question, he simply replied with, "You could say that." Again, not a total lie. He _had_ seen combat, he just left out the fact that he was the cause of most of it.

She clicked her tongue against the back of her teeth, resting her hands on her hips. "Well how about this. I'm going to the kitchen to place your order and just for today, breakfast is on me."

The words tumbled out of his mouth before he could stop them, "You know, you don't have to do that." This wasn't him, he could not be saying these words. He always took whatever he damn well pleased. He was ruthless, he had no place in his chest for this. Why the hell wasn't he refusing her offer then?

She kept her smile anyway, and gave him a wink, "Oh, I know."

He sat back down in his booth. She looked exactly like Sam, except she was his age and had a few differences. Her hair a dark charcoal black, her eyes shone like gold instead of the amethyst eyes he was so used to. She had a slight curve to her figure, a touch more so than Sam. The way she presented herself, however, had that no-nonsense attitude that the almost forgotten goth had always set a fire to him with. Her pale pasty complexion did match Sam's, and he could feel something break inside of him at the sight of such familiar looks.

He ate his meal almost the moment it touched the table. He scooped up the food in spoonfuls, not even taking a breath to put each scoop in his mouth; one after another.

"Damn Hulk, you gonna at least stop when you reach the table!" The other waitress called out to him, but Dan only ignored her and just continued with his meal instead.

The other waitress couldn't help but giggle.

"Come on Jenny, give the man a break."

"I'm just saying if he eats that well you should snatch him up before another girl discovers his superpower." Izzy cringed at her comments.

A deep voice came from the kitchen.

"You're fucken' disgustin' Jen!"

"You just jealous cuz I left yo ass."

"Yeah whatever, Snorlax."

Dan made his exit during the group spat, to Izzy's slight disappointment

The waitress went to clean up his table when she looked down in awe. "Son of a..." She quickly picked up the fifty dollar tip he left her and stuffed it in her bra.

"And another thing the eggs you make are almost as soggy as your wrinkly ol'..."

* * *

Dan walked for a bit, thinking about the waitress. Whoever she was it didn't matter in the long run. This place would never be his home.

Out of nowhere, someone bumped into him, almost tripping him.

"Hey, kid watch where you're going, you little shit."

The kid turned around, ready to apologize when he saw the almost mirror reflection that was Dan. Looking to the left, he sees Sam – this Danny's Sam's – with her eyes widened in shock.

Danny didn't even pause before he jumped into action. "Not today, asshole!" Danny fired a giant plasma blast at Dan, knocking him back almost ten feet.

"Well aren't you smart you little shit. But all that's gonna do is get you hurt." He lunged at Danny and when he was about to make impact his vision went white.

He opened his eyes to see Amity Park in a hue of orange as the ground below him shook. Above he could see black clouds producing purple lighting. He could almost smell the destruction that lingered in the air.

"What the hell is going on?"

Suddenly he was lifted to the sky as the ground beneath him pulled from the earth. Looking around, he began to see chunks of dirt and random debris fly upward as if being pulled by some unseen force. He was lifted higher and higher. He tried to move but his feet were too firmly pressed on the ascending ground.

It was absolutely terrifying. A horrid smile played on his lips.

"Perfect."

The anger that he had felt when he saw his weaker self, he gathered it in his entire being, and once again, white took over his vision as he landed flat on the ground, the sky once again its normal blue. With no sight of his younger self, he walked over to the newspaper stand in front of the diner. Reading the date, Dan's already sinister grin only widened, as he saw he had been gone an entire week.

"I told you, old man, I'd figure it out."

* * *

 _One week prior._

Danny flew home as fast as he could. Phasing through the door he yelled for his entire family to get their weapons ready. Danny gave a rushed explanation of who he and Sam saw, and how he just disappeared in a flash of white. With the entire family armed to the teeth they waited by the door for the inevitable attack.

But the attack never came and by midnight the family put away their weapons and got back to their normal lives, which at this time meant to sleep.

Danny was in his room pacing back and forth, when he heard a knock on his door."Come on in."

Danielle entered, walking over to him with a noticeable weight on her shoulders. "Dad I need to talk to you. It's about Lilith."

"What about her sweetie?"

"She's been seeing things, things well I can't explain. It reminds me of when the Shadow Master gave me those visions, only with her they're more like hallucinations than just dreams. I really think you should talk to her."

Danny nodded in agreement. "I will, thank you, sweetie. Now go on and get some rest. It's been a long day for all of us and you deserve some sleep. Can you send her in here when you go back to your room?"

Danny sat on his bed as he waited for his youngest daughter to come in. She entered the room with a little hesitation. "You needed to talk to me?"

"Yeah, your sister said you were having these... visions? What exactly does she mean?"

Lilith looked at Danny like he was a puzzle she just couldn't solve.

She started at the beginning. How a few days ago she woke up in a hotel room in someone else's body, someone that looked so much like him, but didn't at the same time. How she knew that had been real, she _knew_ it was. Lilith then continued onto what had happened that very morning.

"Today when I was with Dani, I could have sworn you were here making cookies, and Danielle and mom were out at the movies, but when Danielle got back from the bathroom, you were gone. She told me how I was with her since early that morning and you were with mom. But, I'm feeling like I'm going a little insane. I mean it looked just like you except with really long hair and you were a little bit more built."

Danny's face sunk at the realization of who she was actually describing, his breath caught in his throat. His hands became drenched in sweat. His heart just stopped for a moment.

"Dan, you saw Dan."

* * *

 **Shoutout to, silente faery 'cause she's an awesome berta reader! Let me know what you think! Until next time!**


	9. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8! Thank you for all the comments! I truly appreciate it! Have a wonderful day, and if you don't mind, let me know what you think of this chapter in the reviews? Only if you want to. I do not own Danny Phantom, Nickelodeon does.**

 **P.S, I'm legal to drink today! Woot woot!**

* * *

It had been a week since Dark Dan had literally disappeared into thin air, and Danielle thought it was time to have everyone have some time to themselves. She could tell even her mom was starting to feel the insanity take over; the goth would now occasionally shift her gaze over her shoulder, as if she was waiting for a surprise attack.

And that scared her, because her mother was typically always calm and collected; she wasn't one to pull the trigger on something so small. Her dad was trying to relax, knowing that at the moment he wasn't around for what they knew, but it was apparent that Dan would be back, and that kept Danny on edge no matter where they were.

She headed downstairs to see her sister, her head deep in the fridge, making herself a late night snack. Not knowing how to approach the subject, she instead just blurted out, "How about we sneak out!?"

The piece of banana – Lilith wasn't allowed sweets after a certain time here either – that she had taken into her mouth fell out onto the ground in pure shock.

"Do you know how much trouble you'll be in?"

Danielle knew Lilith would be too, but not to the extent that she would be, seeing as this wasn't her own time and she was sent here on a mission, she had expectations to follow the rules.

"Not if we're careful. Now come on, let's go visit Aunt Valarie. We need a girls night with her."

"You are so much more mature in the future."

She shot her younger sister a subtle wink. "And that just means we gotta go out while I'm still young and fun."

With that, the two halfa's became intangible and flew out of their room.

"I mean, I know this guy is bad but I think there overreacting just a tad bit don't you think?" Danielle said on their way there.

"I guess, but Clockwork sent me back to help, and he knows I'm still in training so I really don't think it is something that bad." Still, the words tasted sour in her mouth. Yes, everyone was on edge but maybe it was for a good reason. The thoughts kept bouncing back and forth in her mind. But hey, all that stress needed to be taken out somehow.

"Let's go to the pond that's just outside of town?"

"Or... we could go clubbing? I'm just saying we have do have superpowers, it would be really easy to just sneak in and have a good time."

Lilith looked at her sister in awe. "How about we stick to something that's not going to get us arrested, or worse, grounded."

"Ugh, my sister's such a prude. Fine, we will go to the pond once we get Valerie. But we gotta make a stop along the way."

* * *

They made their way downtown and were about to pass the mayor's office when Danielle took a dive into Tucker's residence. Before phasing through she looked towards Lilith.

"Stay here, I'm gonna have some fun."

Before she could protest her concerns, Danielle was out of sight. Lilith floated by the window Danielle phased through.

"Is that the bathroom?"

She looked into the room; it being a public building more than just Tucker's residence, there were stalls rather than open urinals.

The lights began to flicker on and off as Danielle made a ghostly wail, sounding nothing like she usually did.

The stall door burst open and Lilith hid before Tucker exited. She heard him scream and his footsteps sped away. That was the one thing that never changed about her sister; she was the master of pranks when she wanted to be.

"Oh, sweet Hartman, no!"

Danielle phased through the wall with her eyes glued open in shock, her face colored red.

"Are you okay, Dani?" Lilith whispered, afraid to spook her.

She didn't answer, just stared blankly onward at nothing. Worried for her sister, Lilith paused her flight and grabbed Dani by the hand.

"Dani?"

That seemed to shake her out of dumbfounded gaze. "Let's just go to Valerie's."

"Dani, what happened?"

"Nothing." She answered too quickly, "Now let's just go." Dani bolted off towards Valerie's house. Lilith took a moment to look inside the room once again to reveal that Tucker was so scared he forgot to pull up his lower clothes in the stall.

* * *

Lilith easily caught up with Danielle. "I'm a little hungry, do you think we can stop by the supermarket before we get there and pick up some snacks."

She sighed. "Fine." They made their way to the store where they both pulled up the hoods they were wearing.

"You think anyone we know is here?"

"No, it's far too late for anyone to be up."

" _Eat Pray Love_ , will you look at the price of these cookies, Terry."

The two sister's followed the sound of the voices, locating them in one of the last lonely aisles. Lancer stood, eyeing the candies that were stacked on the shelves. A seven-year-old girl wearing nighty pajamas and her light fawn hair tied together in a messy braid, stood lazily beside her uncle.

Her tiny voice hit their ears as she said, "We don't gotta get them if you think they're too much."

"Well you are only in town for the weekend so..." Lancer looked in his wallet, "Ah, the heck with it let's get two and make a night out of it."

"Thanks, uncle Lancy!"

Danielle couldn't help but giggle, giving away their position at the end of the aisle. "Lancy?"

Lancer turned around upon hearing his nickname. "Ah, Ms. Fenton. I see were out for a little post-curfew stroll. Just so you are aware I am obligated by my job to report this to your parents."

The girl next to Lancer walked up to Danielle and looked back at Lancer, shining her hazel eyes at Lancer.

"This is Danielle? The one who helped you get the last Turbo Man?"

"Yes sweetie, but..."

"No!" Her arms were outstretched, as if to protect the two teens. The small child stood firm in her stance. "You are _not_ reporting such a nice lady." Lancer looked into the inflated eyes of his niece and back at Danielle.

"You heard her, Ms. Fenton. Now I suggest you finish paying for your sweets and find a better disguise than a hood, considering this isn't the first season of Arrow."

They did just that and were once again on their way to Valerie's.

* * *

They landed on the stoop to see the door opened a few mere inches. Both girls gave uneasy glances at the sight. The creak of the door carried out through the empty space ahead of them and settled on their ears as they pushed the door further open.

"That's weird... right? I mean Valerie in my time is never this careless."

Danielle shook her head, "She isn't now either." She looked at her sister and raised a plasm engulfed hand to light their way in the pitch black room. They made their way inside to see the house was completely trashed. The more they looked they realized that there was no one around.

"Maybe they hid in the lab," Danielle suggested. "Come on and let's be careful." They crept along mindfully, careful not to make sound, and soon found themselves in the basement converted lab when they heard a familiar voice.

"Is that Dad?" Danielle asked, uncertainty in her voice.

Lilith paused. She knew that voice; it was not exactly her dad but she couldn't quite place it. She poked her head through the doorway to see Valerie backed into a corner, Dan towering over her, forcing her into a corner.

"You and I go way back and in my timeline, we had quite a bit of fun." He glided his hand across her face. "Now I know our little fling in high school is long over but I'm hoping you still like me enough to do me a favor, not that it matters but for formality's sake."

"What do you want from me ghost?" Valerie hissed.

"You see you have this nice little state of the art lab that can work with anything ghost. I have recently come across these new powers and I don't know how to exactly use them. That, my dear, is where you come in."

"Why don't you ask the Fenton's, creep, they have a lab too and if you ask nicely maybe they can help you test your powers while they're kicking your ass! What are you planning, anyway!? You aren't going to get away with it!"

"Now Val, there's no need to be hostile. After all, we used to be so close. I miss that..." He made his hand intangible and reached into her abdomen, lifting her off the ground. She squirmed in extreme pain. "I'm planning on making sure you and your little _team_ will understand my pain, what I endured for _years_. No matter what it takes."

Her head is thrown back as she kicks her legs mindlessly in the air. She can't scream, there's not enough air in her lungs to build up even the smallest yell for help. She can feel as his fangs are brought close to her neck, skimming the skin of her nape.

"Didn't you miss being this close, Val?" His hot breath brushes against her skin and it makes her shiver in utter terror. The vile bubbles up from the pits of her stomach, coating her throat and threatening to spill over from her trembling lips.

Danielle and Lilith didn't need to see anymore; they burst into the room as loud as they could to grab his attention. It worked, as he removed his hand from Valerie, dropping her on the floor.

"Well look at you two. The fruit of my being. One made the fun way and the other a failed lab experiment."

Danielle lunged at him, only to have him grab her by the throat; lifting her into the air. She clutched at his hands that were grasped around her throat, but her actions were useless against him; his grip was too strong.

"Look at you," His voice sent shivers down her spine, causing pebbles of goosebumps to crawl onto her skin. "You couldn't have turned out any better. To think you were once going to be just a simple clone. What a waste that would have been." He looked at her as he tightened his grip, making her gasp for breath.

"Then again look at you now, so weak, so helpless. Maybe a clone would have been better." He threw her across the room, having her hit the wall with much force. She struggled to stand up, but when she did she looked at Dan.

"How do you know so much about me, asshole?"

Dan smiled as he let his voice sweep into a different octave.

Vlad's voice.

"Come on sweetie, don't you recognize your dear father when you see him?" His voice asked tauntingly.

Danielle froze in place, paralyzed with fear, allowing Dan to strike her once again.

"Come on, I thought you would be more than this. Let me ask you, how much time did I waste creating such a useless little girl?"

He struck her again and again. Blow after blow. The air getting knocked out of her with each blow to her chest, face, and to her kidney. She could feel each breaking crack to her ribs as he serves punch after punch, making her shrivel into a small ball with her knees now guarding her torso. Broken bones dislocated from each other and moved under her skin. Ectoplasm started to leak from her mouth, and bruises started to form on her usual perfect skin. Her eyes shone with nothing but defeat and despair.

However, even with that despair littered in her blue eyes, Danielle tried one more time to take another stand against the flaming hair ghost. But just as her strength started to return, Dan pulled back, putting a majority of his strength into it, and unleashed his fist to meet Danielle, sending her back across the room.

"Lilith, please help." Danielle pleaded.

Something was wrong with Lilith though, the more she was around Dan the more her head hurt. Still, Danielle needed her. She bolted toward Dan ready to knock his lights out. But when her fist reached him, he easily caught her closed fist in his hand.

The room went black for both Dan and Lilith.

* * *

"Three little kittens loved to play, they had fun in the sun all day. Then their mother came out and said, 'Time for kittens to go to bed.' Three little kittens started to bawl, 'Mommy, we're not tired at all.' Their mother smiled and said with a purr, 'Fine, but at least you should brush your fur.'"

Lilith looked around to see a pink and blue room with ghostly murals on the far wall. A nightstand table stood underneath a small window. Next, to the table, a small blue quilted toddler bed was nestled against a wall, and with it, sat two people. One that Lilith could make out a little five-year-old girl. Raven black hair was tied into a messy braid, her four year old baby face kept firm in concentration as her amethyst eyes stared at the book in front of her. The man next to her, shocked her to her very core.

The-the guy had an arm wrapped snugly around the toddler, they both sat squished into the compacted bed; but neither seemed to mind. The lamp on the nightstand provided enough light to keep the dark at bay in the small corner.

"Where am I?" Lilith's eyes broke away from the scene in front of her at the sound of Dan's demanding voice before she was even able to process everything, to meet his fiery red orbs.

Dan was standing next to her, to shocked to attack her at the moment. Both eyes traveled back to the bed at the side of the room to see an older version of the last person they ever thought to see, reading to the little girl with wide amethyst eyes.

Dan.

The younger version stared on in shock. This could not be happening. This was a trick, it had to be. Someone wanted him to let his guard down. He had no humanity. No feelings.

"Keep going, Unky."

With those small three words, however, he could see this-this older self-was weak for this little girl as he says, "Alright, but just for you. Three little kittens with fur all brushed said, 'We can't sleep, we feel too rushed!'" The two looked in awe at the situation.

"That's not me... is it?" They both said in unison.

"This has to be some kinda trick." His bitter voice banged against her eardrums. "What did Clockwork do to me?" His eyes screamed death to the sixteen-year-old.

Taken aback, it took a few minutes to collect herself. "I don't think this is Clockwork," Lilith whispered, too scared to speak any louder. What was this? This wasn't a dream, it felt too real for that. She combed through her memories, but she just couldn't remember anything like this; the more she tried to think, the worse her head started to hurt.

"Did you do this then! Answer me! Who's that-that girl that I'm sitting next to!?" Finally leaving his startled trance, and instead of waiting for an answer from Lilith, he lunged at the young halfa only to pass through her without her even being intangible. "What the hell is this?"

"Why do you think I would know what's happening!? I'm as clueless here as you!" She screeched at him.

The older Dan stood up from his spot next to the little girl's bed and turned to face them. Even though he was looking in their direction it was clear that he could not see them. He just let out a little smile and winked at the two.

"Unky Dan, what are you looking at?" The ghost refused to feel his heart melt even the tiniest at the sound of the small voice that the small child emitted from her mouth.

He returned his attention to the tot on the bed. "Just an old memory sweetie. Now I believe someone gets a goodnight kiss." He leaned over the bed and gave the girl a kiss on the forehead, which in turn earned him a sweet giggle from the toddler. "Goodnight, Lily Pad."

Without warning, everything crumbled to black once again.

* * *

Dan woke up in a green-tinted tube completely unable to move. He clutched his head in his hand to rid himself of temporary dizziness. What little fear he had in his body that he thought was long dead started to bubble to the surface once again.

 _No. You do not feel fear, you make others fear you._

Outside of that tube, he could see Lilith, Danielle, Danny, and Sam staring at him like a caged animal. Danielle's bruised and bloody lips gave a victorious smile. Her crystal orbs danced with happiness.

"We finally did it, we caught you, you monster."

* * *

 **Shoutout to my beta reader silente faery! Thank you so much for the grammar fixes!**

 **So, what about that connection between Dan and Lilith, huh? What do you think it all means? Also, now that Dan's captured, what do you think they're gonna do to him? Do you think he'll escape? Guess we'll find out next time ;)**


	10. Chapter 9

**Chapter nine! I hope you guys enjoy, thank you for the feedback! I do not own Danny Phantom, Nickelodeon does.**

* * *

"Lilith."

"Lilith. Wake up."

"Come on sweetheart, you gotta wake up."

Blinking her eyes open, Lilith was met with the familiar sight of Danielle's ceiling. Supporting herself on her elbows, she was able to get up a little. Looking around her, she could see her entire family gathered around her.

"What-what happened?" Everyone's face fell. Heavy silence drifted around the group, before Danielle – who she didn't even know was laying right next to her in bed – spoke up.

"After you and Dan just sorta...dropped after your fists connected, Valerie and I called Mom and Dad. They rushed over quicker than lighting when they heard our brief explanation. You can guess how angry they were." Lilith gave a dry laugh at that. "Anyway, when they got there, mom single-handedly threw you over her shoulder and ran with you all the way home. Dad flew Valerie to the hospital and Tucker and Grandpa locked Dan away in the ghost locker."

"Ghost locker?"

Her lips pursed together, trying to hide obvious laughter. "It's Grandpa, are you really surprised?" No, she wasn't in the slightest.

Before the two even knew what was happening, their mom climbed onto the small middle space between them – it was extremely little, due to the fact that Dani only had a twin-size bed – and pulled both girls into her sides, hugging them as tightly as she could. "Don't you two ever scare us like that again; I think I lost ten years off my life."

"Sorry, mom."

"What happened when you guys passed out?"

"I'm not sure." She half lied. "I just-it's all so confusing. I don't even know what to think." She felt the guilt swirl around in her stomach, but until she knew exactly what that…that dream, whatever that was, meant, she decided she would lay low with this information. This was her mission to complete and she didn't want her family involved with what she could easily find out. Hopefully.

"Should we... go see him?" Her voice was hesitant as she met her dad's tired eyes. She also hoped that would soon change now that they had Dan locked up.

"Yeah, I have a few things I need to say to him." Lilith was surprised to hear the venom in her older sister's voice.

They could do this.

* * *

"We finally caught you, you monster."

"We have questions. And you're going to answer them." Danny said, his voice held no room for arguments. He stood tall, his arms crossed together over his chest as his feet were planted firm to the ground. But knowing the elder ghost, it wasn't going to be easy extracting the answers.

"I need a moment alone with him you guys." They turned to Danielle as her words reached their ears. Her stare never leaving Dan's evil glare.

"Are you sure you want that honey?" Maddie asked, coming over to place her hand on her granddaughter's shoulder. The slight tension under her touch in her granddaughter's shoulder worried Maddie. The knotted muscles are weighed from heavy thoughts that she kept to herself. Maddie knew this because she had the same thoughts running through her own head. She also knew the halfa wouldn't show it. Danielle only nodded in reply and everyone made their way back upstairs. Once she heard the door being shut rightly, she spoke up.

"You'd think." The technically youngest Fenton quipped. "That with you being trapped in that Thermos the past couple years, you wouldn't be so content in such a cramped space."

He just grunted and faced his back to her; refusing to give her his attention. He couldn't care less about what she thought.

But she persisted on. "Using Vlad's voice on me was an all-time low, and we just met." He couldn't help but move his head a bit sideways to catch a glance at Danielle. Danielle's sarcastic cherry tone made his blood boil. She thought she was so high and mighty now that he was trapped behind a glass wall, unable to do anything to her.

"Oh, I'm so sorry princess." He hissed through his teeth. "How should I make it up to you? Do your chores for you? Make your fluffy comfortable bed? Well here's some news for you, your highness." He was now completely facing her again, his hands placed against the walls of the tube that he was forced in.

"I don't give a damn."

His words came out in a low growl. He was honestly surprised that the sheer force of his voice didn't make the halfa brat jump back in fear. "When are you going to get it through that pretty little skull of yours that I stopped caring long ago. You could be dying on the streets and I wouldn't bat an eye. Don't forget that I'm half the fruitloop that created you. Stop thinking I'm savable."

Her eyes narrowed.

"No."

He tried his best to hide his shock, but he knew some of it seeped through his hard exterior. Her arms crossed over her chest; she stood strong and determined in her stance. He could tell she was going to be difficult. An almost reflection of Danny. Her face was almost healed from the punches she took from his hand. The hope that swirled in her provoking eyes made him scared and angered all at once. Who did she think she was to be able to judge whether or not he was still redeemable?

"Cut the crap." The words rolled off his tongue in a hazy rage."We both know you care as much about me as I care for you. Nothing." His eyes followed her as she moved about the room.

"That's where you're wrong. I don't care about Vlad. I can't after all that he's done to me. He could come crashing back down to earth, begging for me to love him as my father, but I wouldn't. I can never forget what he did, but I have forgiven him. I needed to, for my sake. The Vlad in you makes me sick to my stomach. But there's one thing you didn't think of."

"Oh? And what's that?"

"You're still my dad. As twisted and messed up as that is, my dad is buried deep down inside from everything you faced. From losing Grandma and Grandpa, Mom, Auntie Jazz, Lancer-"

"Shut up!"

 _"No!_ It's time you shut up! Now sit down and let me finish. You are going to hear what I have to say." He didn't even know how to respond to that, so he just did as told for once: He shut up.

"I don't care what everyone else says." Her voice held no shakiness, she wasn't afraid. "Everyone thinks they know you, and to a point, maybe they do. But I know they're letting their fear of what you've done, mixed with the idea that a part of you is Vlad, cloud their judgment. There's a person down deep inside you that knows how to love. You just forgot how to do it. You lost everything, I get it, there's still so much you can gain."

"Yeah, like what?" He snapped.

"A family."

And just like that, she turned to leave. She stopped, however, mid-way up the stairs. A lifeful smile graced her lips. "And to the Vlad that's in you, I know the real Vlad will be back one day, as much as I don't like it. Whether it's in weeks, months, or years, he'll find his way back down here. So I need to say my small piece."

His eyebrows raised in anticipation of what she would say.

"Fuck you, Vlad."

With that, Danielle walked out of the room, giving not even a single glance back at Dan.

* * *

He was not sure how many hours blurred by, but before he knew it he heard the door creak open as Sam slowly trekked inside.

"Ah Samantha, my old muse. It's strange seeing you after all this time. Come here to say how I can be saved, how I'm just a lost soul that needs the right guidance?"

She looked at him and reached into her pocket and pulled out an odd looking weapon. "You see this, ghost? This is called the Reality Blaster, cute name, right? Kinda named after the Reality Gauntlet. You see, after Danielle was kidnaped by the Shadow Master we have been developing this to completely erase any ecto DNA without leaving a single atom." She pointed the blaster at Dan. "You hurt my family, ghost. You hurt them badly and now you have to pay." Her hands were shaking as she gripped the weapon as tightly as she could.

"Why do you keep calling me 'ghost?' You know who I am, there's no way you could have forgotten."

"I call you that because you don't deserve to share the same name as my fiancé! You don't deserve to exist!" She sneered at the diabolical monster that just stood there, tauntingly.

Dan smiled. "Go on then. If I truly mean that little to you then fire. End my existence, protect your family!" A taunting smile find its way on his mouths, parting his lips to reveal sparkling white teeth. His crimson soulless eyes daring her to pull the trigger.

Sweat coats her hands, making the weapon hard to grasp as she put slight pressure on the trigger. Her knuckles turn white from the force of her grip. She tries to steady her hand as it begins to shake. Her knees become stiff, locking together.

Fear struck her.

Her lips become cracked, dry without the saliva from her mouth drying out. She's rooted to the spot as fear creeps its way up her arms, leisurely taking control of her throat, spreading up her face, and trickles down her spine, swallowing her whole. She was immobilized. The pounding of her heart is gone, its usual echo in her ears is hollow. It begins to hurt her chest as her lungs beg for her to breathe, but she couldn't.

She's completely frozen

The pressure from the weapon is gone, even though she can see it still firmly in her grasp, pointed directly at the monster in front of her. It was still there, but it couldn't be, she couldn't _feel_ it.

 _"Do it!"_

A clatter could be heard throughout the confined lab as it meets the harsh titled ground.

Everything came crashing down around her, tearing her from her numbed state. The air swiftly entered her lungs once more. She crumbled to her knees and wrapping her arms protectively around herself. "I can't, I just can't. Not even to you."

Dan's smile widened.

"And that's what makes you so weak."

"You're a monster!"

"No, technically I'm your fiancé."

"You will never come close to the man he is." Her shrilled words fired back as hot tears trailed down her cheeks, blurring her vision.

The ends of his lips twitch and spread into a heated sneer. "I'm what he should have been! It just took watching you turn to dust to do it."

Danielle came running in along with the rest of the group. She wrapped her arm around her mother and led her upstairs. Maddie sat in the back of the room as she watched her family inch closer to the tube.

"Oh look, the Scooby gang is all here."

* * *

Leading her mom up the stairs, making sure to support most of the goths weight laid on herself, Danielle guided them to Danny's and Sam's room. Carefully setting her on the bed, Danielle then transformed back to human, and crawled into bed next to her mom and snuggled up to her side, trying to relay comfort to the shaking woman.

"You're… You're the kid here. I… I should be comforting you here. Not the other way around." While the words are broken every few seconds, Sam still choked them out to the of her abilities. That doesn't stop her from receiving the warm embrace from her daughter.

"I'm not the one needing comfort, mom. You're still human, with human emotions that require love when she's down. Just because it isn't the standard role of mother comforting daughter, doesn't mean you deserve any less. You have all people should know about not raising to normal society roles."

Tears burned her eyes, blurring the world and the outline of her daughter. That earned her a dry chuckle. "Yeah, I guess."

Her cries grew until they're fully unleashed, racking her in endless shudders. She just lets it go, the pain of seeing the one person she cared for most, other Danielle, turn in _that_. The weight she had been carrying in order to hold Danny up while he was dealing with his own inner demons came crumbling down in the arms of her daughter. She was done putting a fake facade and for the moment, in the space of these four walls, she would let her own down. Tomorrow she would wake up, put a brave maks on, and continue on for the sake of getting rid of Dan, but for now, she could be the person she buried long ago from a buried past.

A girl, just trying to find a way to carve her own path in this world

It baffled her mind of how Dan got to the point that he had. Squeezing her daughter closer to her, Sam brushed her fingers through her raven locks, as her breaths started to slow and even out with every stroke of Danielle's hair, along with the snot that dripped from Sam's nose matting in Danielle's hair.

"This doesn't make you any less than the strong woman that you are, mom. Crying, other emotions than the strong face that you put on for everyone; it doesn't make you weak. Its okay to let people know when you're breaking inside."

"Maybe I need to remember that. It's hard, my only idea of getting my voice heard was to make sure I screamed loud enough. Maybe there _are_ other ways to get people to listen. I can't let this fear inside me of being drowned out by and taken advantage by people keep eating away at me. My parents have grown up, I need to learn to grow along with them. Dan will not be the thing that ends me." They fell back into a comfortable silence once more. The only noise in the room was that of the wheezing from the air vents every few seconds.

Sam could feel Danielle shift her in the hug, wordlessly asking to pull away, which she does so to look at her. "I was thinking, how about we go to that gothic bookstore thingy where you like to write gloomy poetry. We'll get you cheered up and come right back. Sounds good?"

She gave a wordless nod, menureving out of the bed, putting light pressure to her feet as she regained her bearings and her mood slowly loosened into a calm wave instead of the abrupt storm that had taken claimed by the monster's words.

After running down the stairs, both girls raced to the door, Danielle winning and yanking open the door. Cold air poured in from ouside, banging the door open without effort from Danielle. Tugging their jackets across their torso as a shiver ran down from the ice cold air. Before they're completely out of the house, Danielle grabbed for the scarfs hanging by the doorway before exiting onto the porch for added protection.

Half a block away from Fenton works, the air had a chilly nip to it as it bit at he exposed skin that they couldn't cover. Deciding to break the silence, Danielle nudged her mom's shoulder to gain her attention.

"So, what exactly do we all do at this book club?"

* * *

"So who's next for group therapy, eh? What about you, Dad? Do you want to know how you ruined my life? How if you just would let your stupid ghost obsession go your whole family would be better off. Hell everyone would be better off, with your idiotic self."

Jack looked down in shame as he walked toward Dan. "I know I could be a better parent, but I do try. When you've needed me I've always been there for you, watching out for you. I just wish you would have told us about your ghost half sooner. Maybe we could have helped you back then and prevented all of this. I can still help you now."

Dan chuckled. "You want to know how you can help me and everyone else? Leave! Pack up, get in your stupid RV and never come back. At least that way you wouldn't screw up anyone else's life."

Danny walked up to Jack and placed a hand on his shoulder."Don't listen to him, Dad. He will say anything to get under our skin. That's just who he is. He can't be reasoned with. He is not redeemable."

"Finally, someone gets it!"

"And I get you. You don't want a normal life. All you want is to destroy everyone else's life to make them just as miserable as you. You aren't strong, not even close. Strength is moving past adversity. Strength is remembering those we lost and what they stood for. You are not strong, you're pathetic. My parents may think you're redeemable but we both know well you never will be and if your timelines family were still alive the very sight of you would make them sick."

"You don't understand anything about them, or me. You don't know about the pain that I've endured for years."

"I know more than you think."

Dan looked around the room seething with anger. His lips curl over his teeth, the veins in his forehead are now visible, pulsing to the beat of thing in his chest. Everyone had their heads down or were at least avoiding his gaze as he looked at them. All but Maddie. She never took her eyes off him.

"Shut your mouth!" Dan yelled, pounding on the glass, hoping to crack it, hoping to break free.

"You don't deserve their love! You betrayed your family when they need you most. You let them die!"

Dan screamed as loud as he could, shattering the glass tube. Floating high in the lab he looked down on them all.

"Pause!"

They all stood frozen, their eyes following Dan's deliberate movements. "Like my new power? Turns out, since I'm not actually tied to any timeline, I was... gifted with these new powers. Isn't that great? You are all a mistake! One that I will soon correct. I was supposed to exist, not you. So enjoy the time you have together while you can because soon I will make sure that none of you get in my way ever again.

"Oh, and Lilith," The sixteen-year-old made herself visible to the group again; tears burned her eyes and fear consumed her face as their eyes met. "I know you have been here the whole time. It's kinda cute how you think I can't tell where you are. "

He raised his hand and blasted the ceiling, causing chunks to collapse on the frozen family. "Still think I'm redeemable?" Dan asked as he makes his flight out the building.

Lilith lifted the ecto shield to move the debris that would have easily crushed them. The entire family was able to move once more.

Danny looked to Lilith in utter wonder. "How were you able to do that? How were you not frozen too?"

She could only lift her shoulders in confusion. "Guess that practice with Clockwork is paying off. Maybe he has my medallion fixed so I can't be frozen in time."

Brushing off the thoughts of how Clockwork could make her not being able to freeze – after all he was Clockwork, who knew what that ghost could do – Danny looked back to his family. "Let's make our way upstairs to see the damage."

They all made their way up to the living room…all but Maddie. The huntress strolled over to the broken tube and placed her hand on what remained of the glass, her reflection shining vibrantly back.

"I know you're in there, somewhere."

* * *

 **As always, thanks to my beta reader, silente faery! Until next time!**


	11. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10. I love torturing Dan. I don't know why. Oh well. Thank you for the lovely feedback, it really helps full my insparation to write! Without further ado, please enjoy! I do not own Danny Phantom, Nickelodeon does.**

* * *

"Where the hell am I?"

All around him was thick dense smoke and ash. He had to do everything not to cough. He could feel his throat start to tighten, his breathing becoming shallower by the minute.

"You are with me." His spine straightened at the familiar voice of someone long forgotten, or at least he thought he had been long buried. How was _he_ here? It wasn't possible. It just wasn't.

"And who is that?" He'd play dumb until proven otherwise. He didn't want to admit what he already knew. Admitting was acknowledgment, and in this case, ignorance was bliss.

"I am you, or at least, what you abandoned; I am your conscience and your emotions. I am your soul." The disembodied voice seemed to echo from all around him. No matter where he stepped, no matter where he turned his head, he couldn't find where the location of the voice was.

"My what? My soul? Ha, I stopped believing in that nonsense a long time ago! So whatever ghost you are, stop pretending to be something I never had." He spun around every other second, building the plasma in his hands, ready to attack the being at a moment's notice.

Suddenly the smoke cleared and Dan found himself – his younger self – sitting in his old high school desk in Lancer's classroom. He saw Sam looking at him, her face happy and content. She looked away when she realized how long she had been staring, her face painted red. The ecto energy around his hands dissipated.

The voice once again pervaded the room. "She really did love you. With her whole heart even. You were the world to her, and whether or not you are willing to admit it, back then she was your world too."

 _You are not weak. You are stronger than any of these worthless people._

"That world is gone, long dead with all that I used to be. This is my life now. No pain, no anguish, and no attachments." That was the way it had been for years, that was the way it needed to be. Nothing was going to change that. Nothing.

The smoke formed once again, making him alone. "You know just as well as I do that that is not living. You choose to avoid the pain but it has never gone away. It follows you and binds you. You have effectively created your own prison, one that you carry with you everywhere you go. You think you have nothing holding you down, but you must not mistake that for true freedom."

"Where the hell are you? Show yourself, damn it!"

Out of the dark smoke and clouds walked a short silhouette. As it got closer Dan could begin to make out what it was: the being of his nightmares, the remembrance of what happened. The very person that had died along with his family and friends – and Lancer – the day Nasty Burger exploded.

"No."

In front of Dan stood the fourteen-year-old version of himself, badly bruised with burns covering parts of his body. His clothes were torn and burnt as well.

"Why! Why that! If you really are my soul why then would you choose me at that moment! You died the day they did!"

He stalked forward to Dan inch by inch.

A pounding began to take residence in his ears, drowning out everything. But it somehow matched the vision's footsteps. Every step, every beat. Not a moment too soon and not a moment too late.

His expression was stale, lifeless. For a few moments, it reminded him of death itself. "I am you at the moment of deepest sadness, at your deepest emotion, and at your deepest love. When we live our lives it is often hard to realize how much we need love and how much we care for one another, and while this was your safest moment it is also the moment you realized how much you truly loved them."

"You're a monster! Stay the hell away from me! I'm stronger than you now, I can control time now, and I'm stronger than that stupid time ghost. You are _nothing_ to me. Just weak." Dan backed away, putting as much distance between them as the smoky void that encompassed them would allow.

A smile ghosted his lips as he continued his march to Dan. "I am the truth you keep denying, I am the pain you suppress. I am your heart made whole. You can no longer run from me. The truth will never stop, it will never slow, and you can no longer hide from what you truly are."

"I can do whatever I want! I cast you out long ago! I felt your heart's last beat with my very hand!" But his words sounded shallow at best, even to him.

His conscience was now mere inches away, stopping dead in his tracks, a sad expression now falls heavy on his face. The vision of the bruised Danny reached his hand inside Dan's chest. A loud thump could be heard all throughout the cloudy void. Clenching his teeth in pain, he did his best to try to pull the hand out from his chest, but his efforts were useless against this thing.

"What are you doing to me?" Dan's voice echoed, half Danny and half Vlad. The world around him seemed to blur as he lost focus on reality. In a last ditch effort, he struggles to try to break free, but it's to strong. Whatever this thing was, was to powerful for him.

The burnt Danny tilted his head and gave Dan his biggest grin. "I am preparing for the moment. Our Moment."

 _"Ahhhh!_ " He couldn't keep his eyes open anymore, the pain became too much to bear. He clenched his eyes tightly together, keeping them closed.

Dan opened his eyes, taking many shallow breaths. Once the air properly returned to his lungs, he could see that he was finally back in his hotel room. There was no smoke, no whatever that thing was. He was alone in the pitch blackness of his room, alone. The words repeated in his head as reassurance. That thing was gone.

"I'm sick of this."

"Like I said, you can't run from this."

Dan whipps his head to see the burnt Danny standing on the other side of the hotel mirror, bruises, burns, and all. "You know what they said to you in that tube meant something. Why do you deny it?"

 _"Shut up!"_

Dan blasted the mirror, leaving a burnt mark on the wall. He heaved in horror at what just transpired. Placing a hand on his chest, he expected the usual, the thing that always assured him of what he already knew, a heartless creature.

But then something happened, something he hadn't felt in over a decade. Something that made his head start spinning.

A thump met the palm of his hand.

A heartbeat.

He had a heartbeat.

* * *

Flopping on the bed, the angered ghost closed his eyes, trying to bury the haunting memories that the vision had brought to the forefront of his mind. No matter how hard he tried to explain away the heartbeat, it still stayed. It still fluttered lightly in his chest every few seconds.

It could just be a trick. Clockwork, that vision or even that Phantom brat. Yeah, that could actually be a good reason. However, the flutter in his chest almost seemed to reply back as a harsh _no_. It was real and not a trick. It was his heartbeat, no matter the denial.

Opening his eyes, Dan was enraged at the sight of the room being once again surrounded by a hazy and ominous mist. Thunder boomed all around him. He leapt from his bed, ready to pounce on the vision, ready to tear _him_ to shreds. "Where are you, you little pest!"

"Oh, he's not here. In fact, I thought you got rid of him a long time ago."

He growled at the new voice. The vile feeling of throw up threatened to spill over, but he bit down. He was not weak, and he would not show fear. "Then who are you?" His voice cracked, demanding an answer and nothing less.

"Young Danny Fenton, you were just fourteen when you came to my doorstep begging me to help you. Who would have known this is what you'd become. I'm honestly quite proud I could help get you this far." The shadow stepped out from the masking smoke.

"Plasmius?"

"Are you surprised? After all this time waiting in your subconscious, I hoped that one day you would seek me out, my boy. I wasn't truly expecting you to be the stronger half of our little merger but then again you have always been full of surprises."

"What is it that you want?" He gave a threatening laugh.

"Nothing for me, I just want to help you. You have been losing control lately, having human urges, your hunger, the need to sleep, and that waitress, oh yes I can feel the hunger there too." He bared his teeth that the elder ghost at the mention of Izzy.

"Get to the point!"

"My point is, whatever is happening to you it is causing you to change, and as much as I love my ego even I have to admit you have been far better at causing chaos with my powers than Masters ever could. You have a gift for violence and it seems to be slipping. That's where I can help."

"How so?"

"Oh it's very simple, all you have to do is let me take the reins for a little while. I'll destroy some buildings, spill some blood, and get that killer instinct back up to full gear. What do you say, my boy? How about you let Uncle Vladdy take you for a little joy ride?"

"No deal, fruit loop. You may have kept you consciousness all this time but don't you ever forget one thing: _I am in charge!_ "

There was silence between the two. The only thing that could be heard was the thunder that had filled the void ever since Vlad made his appearance. Shaking his head, he slowly floated back into the hazy fog that covered them.

As Vlad started to slowly disappear, his voice echoed, "Is that why the boy keeps visiting you every night? But hey what do I know? At least I'm not the one haunted by my own shadow."

He was alone again.

Always alone.

* * *

"Fancy seeing you here."

Dan twisted around to see Izzy standing there, roses rested in her arms. Her sun kissed eyes contrasted the foggy air that settled around them, almost like a beacon in the dense mist. Her emerald knee length coat wrapped snugly around her slim figure. He could see dark blue jeans that fit her well, Dan could tell she was keeping warm. Her hair was pinned up into a messy bun, a few strands framing her face. Her face was blank, he couldn't read what thoughts were running through her head or what she thought of seeing him here.

She stood still, still nothing played on her face, but it's then that he realized she was waiting for him to respond. His hand flies to the back of his neck, an old nervous habit that he thought he had gotten rid of when he killed his human half. "Yeah, I was just visiting… I was just." His words get caught in his throat and he has to release a harsh cough to clear the constriction formed in his throat.

"Family?"

He gives a curt nod. Which in turns earned him a smile that stretches halfway across her face. Her eyes land on the gravestones that lined the row of thousands of others that reached further out of views. "I never did get your name."

His eyes move past her, breaking the little contact they had. He considered giving her a fake name for a few minutes, she wasn't someone that deserved to know his name, why should he give it. But the silent plea in her whispered words somehow breaks him, he can't hold back the tumble of words. Without much force, he grumbled out, "Dan."

She stepped forward, the crunching of leaves under the slight pressure of her feet reached their ears. Crouching down, she lays the roses down gently in front of one of the stones. With her hand, she braced herself down onto the chilling wet grass. Shifting her her body, she tucks her legs underneath her. It tickled against her skin of her hand, but she doesn't give it much thought.

She pats the ground next to her, inviting her to take a seat next to her. He doesn't look at the tombstone, he's killed countless people, watch the light drained from their eyes as he held they're beating hearts in his literal hands as he crushed it slowly until the ashes would become nothing more than a trail on the wind, yet tombstones always unsettled him.

It always brought back haunting memories of that day.

Memories that he couldn't shut out.

She couldn't understand

No one did.

He does as asked, although he doesn't know why, and lets his feet guid him to the stopt next to her, crossing his legs, he plants himself a few inches from her.

Neither spoke, the only thing that broke the silence is the occasional howl of the wind as it whips their hair around. While he can't hear her breaths, he can see the heaving of her chest as it fills with air. It astounds him how her breathing seems to have a unknown calming effect on him, even if he didn't like it. Afterall, she would be dead soon. Along with everyone else.

"Which grave belongs to you?"

Dan's spine straightens at her voice. He doesn't know how to answer that. They weren't buried here. They were not buried anywhere anymore, technically. Except inside his head.

"They're not buried here anymore." He grunts out, chewing on the end of a hangnail that started to annoy him. He flicks it to the side, once its torn off and resumes to stare off in the distance in front of him, letting his heightened vision cut through the heavy fog that engulfed them.

"It sucks, having people leave, doesn't it?"`

He can feel her gaze lock onto the side of his head, its bordering into him, but he refuses to turn his head to meet her warm liquid eyes. He doesn't realize when his tongue sweeps across his lips to revive the dry cracks that had formed. This girl might look like… Like _her._ But she didn't know anything about him. She didn't know anything about the cruelty of this world. She didn't have the right to act like she did. It was unfair. But hey, life hated him, so why not shove the one thing in the universe that he couldn't stop caring about, even when he tries not to.

"You don't know what pain feels like."

His words britterly growled out, cutting clear though the stillness of the air. He expected her to jolt at his words, be offended, make some sort of indication of discomfort or fear from his angered words. Because that's what he does, he instill fear into people. He loved the feel as he slides a fingernail down their throat, the blood dripping from the wound as they beg for mercy. He never gives it though.

"I know more than you think."

That grabbed his attention. His stare locked onto her own and he's terrified to admit as to what he found in the dripping honey intensity of her eyes. The sadness is swallowing her, restricting her. Something in her was screaming for an escape. Her lips were set in a hard thin line. It was an intrusive thought, but he wondered what it'd be like to understand the pain she buried so deep. What secretes of her own she's been hiding for years.

She braved on, interrupting his inner thoughts. "You think that just because I'm a young girl from a small town in the Mid-West that I haven't seen shit." She gave a short snort. "I'm sorry to piss on your _poor me_ parade, but people have probably seen things just as bad as you. It's called living through it, and doing something that would make the person that is gone proud of you."

Her mouth twitched into a tiny frown, her hand automatically going to her nose to give it a quick scratch. "It's not your fault. Whatever happened, no matter how much you've tried to convince yourself, it's not on you. Maybe it's time you forgive yourself." With that, she shifted her weight and stood up, offering a smile and a wave as she made her way back to her car, almost disappearing into the muggy fog. Rain starts to open pour, molding his clothes to his skin. When he doesn't hear the light clomp from her military boots,he assumes that she left, only to hear her voice once more.

"If it's any help, I forgive you."

Their gazes meet once again.

"You don't even know me."

She sent a wink to him. "You don't always have to know someone to understand someone."

With that, she truly leaves this time, letting the fog shield her once more. The sound of her boots squishing through the muddy ground echoed through the morning breeze along with the leaves crumbling under her steps,, somehow putting him in a slight trance.

She was wrong.

It was his fault. He was the reason they was dead.

But maybe she understood.

If not just a bit.

* * *

 **Yee. Someone has a heartbeat. Wonder what it could mean for the future. Guess we'll have to wait and find out. ;) Until next time you guys!**

 **As always, thank you silente faery for beta reading! You're the best! :D**


	12. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11! I love the idea of time travel. I really hope you guys enjoy this. I do not own Danny Phantom, Nickelodeon does.**

* * *

It was just slightly raining outside; the droplets hit the fallen leaves that recently landed on the ground. It would be calming for almost anyone, but Lilith's nerves could not rest. Only one thing was running through her head, and no matter what she tried, she couldn't banish it.

"Ugh! There has to be something! You can't just control time; it's not possible unless you're receiving help from Clockwork. This isn't some bullcrap episode of Doctor Who where you can just make something up for the plot, this is the real world with rules and reason! It just doesn't make sense." Clockwork had driven into her head how strong the power was, and what responsibility it came with. That's why it was entrusted to him and him alone.

Jack looked to Lilith, an idea lighting up his crystal eyes. "I got it! Maybe Clockwork had an evil twin that has been helping Dan in the shadows and we just never met him before." The child-like smile made Lilith feel guilty for having to spoil his theories. Thankfully Grandma wandered into the living room with her morning coffee, a monotone expression playing on her face, having heard the conversation between the two.

"Honey, I know things have been slow but you really have to stop watching those soap operas."

Looking like a kicked puppy, Jack muttered in defense, "They are my stories and they help me relax." A ding went off in the kitchen. "Now, if you'll excuse me, my scones are ready. I made double chocolate chip." He balled his fists in excitement as he made his way to the kitchen with a skip in his step.

"What's going on with Grandpa?"

Maddie took a sip of her coffee before speaking, planting herself next to her granddaughter on the couch. "Well, since we had to put our teaching at the high school and university to the side for now due to Dan showing up, he's been watching nothing but daytime soap operas and cooking shows. Here's an idea, sweetie. I know that they've added a lot of ghost related readings from around the entire world at the library. Maybe there will be something there to help you. Oh, before you go can you check on Danielle? She's been acting a little strange."

Jumping up from her spot on the couch, she gave her grandma a quick, "Yeah, no problem."

Lilith phased up to Danielle's room to see the young halfa tripping over everything she came into contact with. Her movements were so unlike the Danielle she knew: uncoordinated and sluggish. She bumped into her nightstand and the dresser, causing her to fall on her arms.

Lilith had to cover her mouth to muffle the laughter that started to bubble forth. She watched her sister fumble for a few more minutes in amusement before deciding to make her presence known. "Are you okay, sis?"

Danielle looked up in surprise at the sight of Lilith, not hearing her enter. "Yeah, I'm fine. Why do you ask?" Danielle asked, her left eye twitching in obvious nervousness. She tried to give a an easy smile, but it only reminded Lilith of a serial killer trying to hide his guilt.

"Because you're walking with the skill and grace of a newborn giraffe." She couldn't help a little giggle that slipped through her fingers.

"I'm perfectly fine Lily, now I just have to grab my hat and I'm going to the mall." Danielle reached for her dresser and accidentally phased through it, causing her to fall. Quickly running over to her sister, Lilith pulled her out from the dresser, and once back to full tangibility, set her back upright.

"Is something wrong with your powers?"

"I guess I might be getting sick." She placed her hand lightly on her stomach as if to prove her point.

Lilith began to laugh uncontrollably. "Oh heck no! I know what this is!" The way Danielle's eyes widened even further confirmed her suspicions, making Lilith laugh even harder if it was even possible at this point. "You split your being for too long and now your power is on the fritz till you come back together. This is rich!"

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Danielle responded as she unwillingly phased halfway through the floor. Rolling her amethyst eyes, she once again gave Danielle a hand.

Taking a seat on her sister's cluttered bed, she crossed one knee over the other, interlocking her fingers against the proped limb. "So let me ask big sis, were you going to make a stop at Tucker's before going to the mall?"

Reacting in haste, Danielle quickly covered Lilith's mouth to quiet her. "Shush up! I don't want mom and dad to find out!" When she received a nod in agreement to be quiet, Danielle removed her hand.

"Oh my gosh! Did you two you know..."

" _Gosh_ no," she all but screeched. "We just slept in the same bed and all we did was sleep... and make out."

Lilith punched Danielle on the shoulder. "You are so bad. Just make sure that you and Tucker don't do anything stupid. I don't want to have to correct a timeline because you have a kid before you're supposed to."

Danielle's lip goes out in a pout, her eyes filling with fake tears as she begged. "Can we just keep this between us? I really don't want to deal with another month of being grounded."

She lifted her hands in a sign of surrender."I will, but next time, be a little more careful. I'm just happy that I have this on you and you can't do jack."

"Well, it might take some time but I could always have a chat with a certain Keith."

Lilith's face turned beet red as her jaw dropped. "How the hell do you know that name?"

A dirty smirk gradually seeped onto her lips. "You talk in your sleep, little sis. I thought I had a thing for plaid but wow, you have some wild dreams."

"We're even then?" She asked confidently.

Danielle smiled. "Yup."

"Well, I got to go to the Library to do some research. I suggest you, ' _head to the mall,_ ' before you accidentally phase into Grandpa's secret fudge supply." Danielle gave a toothy grin and pushed herself off the bed, flying through the roof to her destination.

Lilith headed downstairs to grab a breakfast bar and phased through the door, making her way to the library.

* * *

Lilith entered the library and was instantly more at ease. She had always loved the smell of books, and being in the library made her feel at home even when she was far away from it. She spotted the computers – or in this case, a computer – and decides that's the best option to start her research first.

However, not even five minutes after starting up the old dinosaur age computer, the screen displayed a blue screen and in an instant, turned black and quit responding to her. ' _Of course this would be my luck._ ' She then decided to stroll up to the librarian who was behind the checkout desk, typing away at his working computer.

' _Of course, all the staff computers would work, but could they make room in the budget for public computers? Nope_ '.

"Excuse me sir, where are your books on ecto activity?"

The thirty-year-old looking man glanced up from his screen, giving her his attention. "Ah, yes, we just expanded the section about a week ago. It's in the back right next to our books on demonology and vampires."

"Vampires? Yeah and I thought ghosts were weird. Oh, I've never seen you here before. What's your name?"

"It's Rupert. Rupert Giles. I just moved here from California."

"Nice to meet you, Giles."

Lilith drifted her way to the ghost section.

* * *

After hours of searching, she could not find a single bit of information that would help in discovering why Dan had his powers. Books upon books piled up next to her on the table, but none provided any suitable answers. She could feel her eyes start to drop as she placed her chin in her unoccupied hand while the other grabbed another book.

"There has to be something here." She flipped through a few more pages, kicking up dust that accumulated over time— even though the librarian said they just had received these books— and groaned in defeat yet again, coming up with nothing.

The young halfa suddenly felt a chill run down her spine. Out of nowhere a thud meets her ears from behind. Looking in the direction of the noise she saw a small native child smiling and waving at her. She returned the gesture in kind.

"Hello. Are you lost? Where are your parents?"

The child giggled and ran to the door in the far back. Opening the door, he waved to Lilith for her to follow him. Unsure of what to do in this situation, Lilith walked over to where the small child had disappeared into, placing her hand against the worn wooden door to open it but found that the entrance was still somehow locked.

"How the heck did he open it?" She phased through the door to see a barely lit storage room. In the distance, she saw the child again.

"Hey, wait up kid!" She followed after him as he ran away. He stopped running when he reached a large crate. He looked at Lilith one last time with a frown on his face as he phased into the crate. Lilith walked up to the crate and phased her hand through it, trying to reach the little boy. However, the only thing she could reach fascinated her: it was another one of Clockwork's pendants. The pendant was worn, discolored, and looked older than dirt. How it was still intact Lilith did not know.

"I wonder."

Lilith pressed the button on the side and slightly jumped when, in Clockwork's ancient language, it gave the year 1584. "Is this where I'm supposed to get the answers I need?"

The ancient pendant began to glow a faint green, bouncing a reflection off her face.

"Guess that's my answer."

Gently placing her hand on the pendant she pressed down as softly as she could to make sure the ancient device stayed functional. She heard the click of the gears grinding against each other. In less than a blink of an eye, Lilith fell a good five feet from where she was last standing to the unforgiving forest floor.

Lilith cracked her neck in pain. "Cheap, nasty, and with the added bonus of whiplash. Thank goodness uncle didn't stop advancing these things at this stage."

Looking around, Lilith was surrounded by forest for quite some way. The more she looked the stranger things were. She could see glowing animals passing through the trees and frolicking all around her.

Trees stood thick and tall around her. The nighttime sky was stretched with so many stars, they seemed to dance and twinkle in a way Lilith had never seen in all her sixteen years. They seemed to light up the heavens above in a way the sun just could not. The air felt so different, so calm and free. It smelled so _weightless_ , if that was even the correct term.

It was also something else that she wasn't used to in her time; it was quiet. There were no horns, no cars, no hums of massive machinery, nothing but nature whistling through the winds and brushing though the leaves in the trees and grass.

She scanned the area as she did a short spun, always checking for danger before she continued on with her mission. It was the first thing Clockwork had taught her. "Okay uncle, next time you give a detour through the sixties make sure you put it on the playbill. I've been sent back to Woodstock and it still wasn't this weird."

In the distance, she could see a pillar of smoke. Huffing in relief, she marched towards it.

"Thank goodness, people."

It took her a while to make her way out of the woods, as plenty of twigs, branches, and hefty logs tripped her up along the way. But when she did finally reach her destination, she saw a small encampment just a little ways away.

Making the short walk to the village, Lilith was wary at first, not knowing what to expect in this different culture. On the side of caution, Lilith made herself invisible. Walking through the village, she could see both men and women working on their daily chores. She accidentally bumped into one of the women, knocking them both to the ground. The woman got up and started giggling.

 _What's so funny_?

The unknown woman looked to her friends. "We got another clumsy spirit here!"

 _Was that English_?

She picked herself up and walks toward the largest structure in the little village. Pulling the curtain like opening she entered the structure. Inside was an elderly man sitting in the middle of the floor on a patterned blanket.

"You need not hide yourself, child. The conflict you hold inside your heart shows you clear to me." She jumped slightly at the unexpected smooth light tone of the elder's voice. It was inviting and had an unexplainable warmth to it. And something else was buried in his voice, something expected, as if he was just waiting for her, like he knew she would be here.

Biting back her nerves, Lilith made herself visible once more.

"How can you sense me?"

The wrinkles set in his soft brown skin seemed to stretch with his full smile that slowly appears. The happiness on his lips reached his endless brown eyes. "I have been taught by the Spirit who keeps count of the moon and sun. He is the one who gave us the pendant you now wear around your neck. It has the ability to translate our different languages to each other – that is why you can understand, clumsy spirit – but I sense this is not the knowledge you seek. So answer me, why you are here visitor?"

"There's an evil spirit with great power. He has the same powers of the Spirit of moon and sun, but it doesn't make sense. How can he have these powers when only the Spirit of moon and sun can control these things?"

"Come sit, child." He patted the ground in front of him, which she did as advised. She mirrored his sitting position, criss-crossing her legs in front of her and tucking her left ankle under her right. His deep chocolate eyes drifted past her, looking at something only his mind's eye could see.

His voice picked up. "There is a tale in my culture. A tale told throughout my village's history, where there was once a great spirit who desired a child." Nothing but wisdom rang throughout his smooth honey soaked words. "He had a son who was kind and wise. He loved his son so much he gave him a cloak that made him incredibly strong. The son was friends with the forest and all who lived in it but enemies came and set fire to the forest. The son felt guilty for not protecting the forest, as he felt he should of been able to, and killed the raiders. When the great spirit saw the blood on his son's hands, he ripped the cloak in half and gave it to the descendant of one of the raiders his son killed. The son was banished in shame but the great spirit felt pity for him and let him keep his half of the cloak."

"What happened to the other half of the cloak?" Lilith interrupted, tugging at a stray away strand of hair.

"Hush, clumsy spirit."

Lilith was about to give a crude comeback, but the chief continued on. "Meanwhile, the descendant of the raider was grateful for the half of the cloak that was given to them and used their new power to keep peace among the rival tribes."

Lilith looked at the man as if he had just spoken Chinese. "What does any of that mean? There _has_ to be a way to defeat him. I'm missing my family, you don't understand, I can't go home until I finish my mission, I miss my family, I miss my uncle..."

She meant to say Clockwork after the uncle. But her tongue seemed to restrict her, almost like it had a mind of its own.

It wanted to say another name.

And it terrified her, because she doesn't know the name her own tongue wanted to speak.

He just gave a knowing smile. "The truth of the tale will come to you in time. Until then just know this, young spirit. All is as it should be."

With that, Lilith was whipped back to her own time with much force. Cracking her neck once again she screamed out in anger.

 _"I'm going to throw a freakin' clock at the next person who says that damn phrase!"_

She then took notice at all the eyes that were now on her. She felt the heat start to climb its way up to her cheeks. Giles looked at her, putting a finger on his lip. She avoided all other eye contact after that.

* * *

Lilith sped out and made her way downtown to get a little bit of lunch. She didn't rush though, as she let the new information settle in her mind. Settle, however, wasn't even near as to what was happening inside her head. Her mind was buzzing loudly, nothing made _sense_ anymore. What that legend meant, how Dan still received his powers, and if she had any little comprehension of the story meant; who was given the other half of the cloak?

At this point she had more questions than answers and couldn't understand how it all connected. She doesn't understand, and right as she thought she was going to finally get an answer, three more questions popped up in its place. She knew three things for sure that connected in this tangled mess.

 _Time travel._

 _Dan._

 _Her._

She didn't even know where she's going, doesn't put much thought into it. She just let her feet lead her to wherever they pleased, one foot after the other. Stopping mid stride, Lilith lifted her head and saw the sign 'Rusty Ghost Diner'. "Well, that's definitely not there in my time. Might as well give it a shot."

Entering the diner, she saw a waitress across the way on the other side of the room, with long black hair and wearing a light blue old fashioned top, a skirt, and dark see through stockings. She wore a small apron around her waist, tide neatly around her small frame.

When the waitress turned around, Lilith could feel her heart drop to her stomach for a moment; the pounding in her ears drowned out everything the greeter was saying to her. _Her mom_. But she wasn't. Her golden eyes were an attest to that. She held a tray of drinks with her left hand, and started serving them with her right, focused on not dropping and spilling anything.

"Huh?" She asked, and the greeter repeated her question of table or booth.

"Booth." She answered simply, her eyes never leaving the unknown woman.

She slid into her seat, picking up a worn laminated menu. She took a deep breath as she rationalized the situation. People had doppelgängers all around; at least everyone had one person that looked almost like them. That was the reason and she was sticking to it; if only to calm her raging heart as it crashed against her rib cage.

Now that she was calmer, she knew it was probably not a doppelgänger. Whenever was it that simple? But for now, she could just file it in the least important thing to do on her to-do-list.

The waitress walked over, her steps light and careful. She was light on her feet, even with the boots that she wore.

"Hey sweetie, school out early?"

"No, I'm just here on...vacation." She half-way lied.

"Wow, we don't get many tourists, well that was the way it used to be before that ghost boy saved the world." She pulled out a notepad and pen from the pockets sewn into her apron. "Anyway, what can I get you? Today's specials are our signature double bacon cheeseburger, a roast beef hoagie with the fixings and pea soup."

"I'll take the hoagie please, with a strawberry milkshake and extra crispy fries on the side."

The waitress's lips pressed into an amused smile. "Rough day, eh?"

"You could say that."

"Well you're in luck, we make the best milkshake in town and I'll make sure Mike makes it extra special for you."

"Thanks, that means a lot."

"It's the least I can do."

The waitress retrieved the menu and goes back into the kitchen to place her large order. Lilith sat there waiting for her food, listening to the old radio that sat above the kitchen window. Lilith looked at the waitress as she began to sing along to I Believe I Can Fly. The halfa cupped her hands around her mouth.

"You have a great voice!"

The waitress strode back over to Lilith. A cheerful expression splashed on her face.

"Thanks. You really think so?" A grateful smile appeared.

"Yeah, what was that song anyway?"

"You mean, I Believe I Can Fly. Oh, it's my favorite song. When I was a kid I used to stare out my window and imagine flying as high as the birds. I would listen to that song and just dream the day away."

"That's really cool. My dad used to dream about becoming an astronaut. So hey, it seems like the sky's the limit for us all."

Lilith ate her food with gusto and made sure to leave a tip for the waitress.

"Miss, you forgot your wallet," she heard someone call out to her.

Lilith turned around to see the waitress jog a little to catch up to her. "Thank you so much. That would have made my day go from bad to shit real fast." Lilith took the wallet, giving her a thankful grin. "Thanks again,"

The waitress extended her hand.

"No problem."

Lilith went to grab her hand and instantly her vision went black for a split second. The next thing she saw was the waitress and Dan talking with each other over a cup of coffee. It looked like they were at the diner, enjoying the day like it was just an ordinary time. She blinked once and it was over as soon as it had begun.

She shook her head to rid herself of whatever just happened. "What the hell."

"Is everything okay?"

She focused her attention to see the waitress still standing in front of her, a concerned expression overflowing her face. Lilith did her best to give a reassuring smile, but she knew it was only half-assed.

"Yeah, I just really have to get going."

Lilith started to jog away, looking back every so often to make sure she was real. She couldn't be, but she was, and Lilith didn't know what to do about it. Just when she thought maybe her troubling thoughts in her head was going to calm down, at least for a few hours, they started up again all because of this unnamed waitress.

"Something weird is going on and for once I don't think it's Dan's handiwork. What the hell is going on?"

* * *

 **Shoutout to my beta reader, silente faery. Thanks for all your help :D**

 **Until next time, you guys!**


	13. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12! Sorry for the long wait, and I know this probably isn't my best chapter. I really had a struggle with this one. I think I need to relax on uploading every other day, so I decided to come up with a schedule. I will be uploading every Tuesday and Friday. That way I have time to come up with chapters that will actually fit the story. Thank you for understanding. Anyway, I hope you enjoy the chapter! I do not own Danny Phantom, Nickelodeon does.**

* * *

Lilith was making her rounds about the house, as usual, seeing if she could find any clues left by her uncle. "Ooh look at me, I'm the ghost of time and I can only speak in riddles that have never ending answers! Not all of us can natural see into timelines you know! Eh, what's the point it's not like he's going to answer me, well at least not with a straight answer that is."

Ever since the incident at the library, she came to the conclusion that anything was possible with Clockwork. She could feel the ever persistence voice at the back of her head. The nagging voice that something was going to go wrong, that it always would, would not leave her. She knew there was something missing to the puzzle, something that could help stop Dan. She just couldn't piece it together.

"There has to be something I'm missing. Things just aren't adding up. It just doesn't make any sense, well not that things ever do in this family, but this is weirder than normal and I will _not_ stand for abstract weirdness!"

She tried to fight back her doubtful thoughts as she made her way back to her and Danielle's room. When she arrived, she saw Grandpa Jack talking with Danielle.

"So did you do what I asked you to?"

Danielle slid her finger across her throat, signaling for her grandpa to stop talking. "Shh Grandpa."

Lilith's curiosity grew as she watched them exchange secrets. Leaning against the doorframe, arms crossed over her chest, she finally revealed her presence. "So what are you two planning? Knowing you two it's probably a secret fudge recipe. I still don't understand how you two maintain your figure in my time." Those two were always up to something.

Jack glanced around the room nervously and grabbed Lilith's future Fenton Thermos without thought. "We were just discussing how your updated Thermos works. Like for instance, what does this red button do?" Jack's finger hovered over the button.

"No Grandpa, that's the release button!"

Jack snapped his finger away from the button without a moment to spare. Wiping the droplets of sweat, Jack breathed, "Woah that was close."

He set the Thermos back on the dresser where he found it, only he pressed it a little too close to one of Danielle's sci-fi statues, and the nose of the figure activated the red button.

"Auto ghost release activated."

"That's not good," Jack said, sweating, biting the ends of his loved cover nails.

Shadow emerged from the Thermos. "Free! I am finally _free_!" He looked at Danielle and hissed. He then flew out the closed window, shattering it to pieces.

"Dad!" Danielle yelled.

Shuffling and then footsteps could be heard as Danny ran out of his bedroom, wearing only his pants with his belt hastily buckled. "Going ghost!"

"I thought you were done saying that!" But Danielle got no retort as he continued on his chase. He transformed, phasing through the ceiling to catch up with Shadow.

Jack paused and looked at the girls. "How long has my son had a six pack?"

"About a year and a half now!" Sam announced from behind Danny's closed door. Jack stood there with confusion mixing into his face.

"How long has Sam been here?"

Lilith just sighed and placed a hand on Jack's shoulder. "Don't worry too much Grandpa, my birthday isn't for quite some time now."

Jack's face went from confused to disgusted in a matter of seconds. _"Come on!"_

* * *

Danny was trailing Shadow as fast as he could. They made it a fair distance from the house when Danny heard faint yelling. "Dad?"

Shadow swooped down into a crowded office building, speeding through the building to find the electrical box; he phazed through it, forcing sparks to fly from the now worn box. Danny phased through the window, not being able to see beyond his own hand in the darkness. The helpless screams of people in the building pierced the air.

"Whatever it is you want, you don't have to hurt these people!" He yelled into the dark.

"These people are nothing." Danny paused for a moment, focusing his heightened hearing, letting his ears capture the low hiss of his voice, finding the shadows location. "What I wanted was for all to be consumed in glorious shadow. My Master must have failed by the looks of the girl. So now I shall take his place as the new Shadow Master!"

"Yeah, nope."

Smirking, he raised his hands towards the far right of the room. Letting the energy surge from his core and travel up his arm and releases through his posied hand.

The charge of the plasma blast illuminated a large portion of the room, bathing people that were seeking shelter under their desks in light. He aimed his hand at Shadow's heart then released the blast, sending Shadow sailing out the window on the far side of the room.

After exiting the building, Danny grabbed Shadow by the tail and pulled him high into the sky, far above any of the tall buildings in Amity. "How about this, Shadow. You want the world in darkness, how about you start with me. Just us, high above the city where no one can get hurt. If you take me over, you can use me for whatever you wish but until then we stay up here."

The grin that slowly overtook Shadow's mouth chilled Danny to his core, but he knew not to show it. "I accept. Just know this. I have been in that Thermos for some time now. No light, just _beautiful darkness_. So if you think this will be easy, ghost child, you are sorely mistaken!"

"Well then. You get the first move, your royal darkness."

Shadow wasted no time. He fired smoking black daggers at Danny, all missing and flying far out of town.

"Is that all you got? You're going to have to be better if you plan on ruling over all this world and the Ghost Zone!" Taunting the angered Shadow wasn't the best idea, but he needed to let out some steam. After everything with Dan, he could feel himself losing his head.

His eyes tightened in hate. "So cocky! I'll make you pay for your arrogance!" Shadow surged for Danny, wrapping himself around him which caused him to plummet fast to the ground. "Don't bother phasing, child! There is nothing that can escape true darkness!"

Danny shifted all his weight, forcing Shadow to fall near the Amity baseball field. "Hey, loser. You better not make me miss the big game today!" An easy grin seeped onto Danny's lips.

His assailant sneered, "Insolent child, If you want an audience for your defeat I will gladly give you one!"

They soared closer to the field. Danny's mind started to race as an idea suddenly hit him

Still confining Danny, Shadow hovered just above the baseball diamond. The crowd shrieked in terror as they saw their hero being strangled by Shadow. Thunder boomed in the distance, though there was no sign of rain. The sky was dull with dusky clouds, rejecting any sun that attempted to crack though the gloom looming over the entire town.

"Any last words, Phantom?"

"Yeah." His eyes narrowed in a challenging demeanor, a sly smile festering on his lips.

The town clock struck three, indicating the start of the game.

 _"Game on!"_

The field lights all turned on automatically, assaulting Shadow to the point of having to loosen his grip on Danny as he started to dissipate. Shadow retreated back into the city buildings.

"Where do think you're going. I'm not through with you yet!" Danny trailed him, not at all far behind.

They were in the heart of downtown when he finally caught up to Shadow. "Come on dude, we both know how this is going to end." He mocked the ghost. Danny could tell the ghost was starting to surrender, as defeat played in his empty electric green eyes.

Desperate, Shadow sent another dagger at Danny, missing him just slightly.

"Come on, you are making this too easy."

Shadow gave Danny a most evil grin.

"Do you hear that ghost child?"

"Hear what?" Danny responded.

Shadow tilted his wicked grin."The hissing below."

Danny looked down to see a large propane tank in the back of the local diner.

"No," Danny said as he realized where the hissing was coming from. The awful smell of gas assaulted his nostrils. Looking down, he saw a large man enter the back of the diner. Danny began flying down as fast as he could.

 _What is he doing?_ Danny thought as he looked at the man. The man raised something to his mouth and had one hand covering his other. Danny then realized why he was out there:

It was his smoke break.

 _"No!"_ Danny yelled.

But it was too late. The fire had engulfed the entire diner, leaving nothing but charred wood and scattered flames. Danny fell to his knees when he landed. Surrounded by death and destruction, he just sat there as the world melted around him.

His heart plummeted down to his stomach. The air quite literally being knocked out of him, it felt too thin to even try to choke down. His mind became a hurricane of fear at the sight before him. His surroundings became out of focus aspanic took over, forcing his sense of reality to blur.

"I could have stopped this." He somehow found himself able to choke out. "If I wasn't so full of myself I could have deflected the blade. This is all my fault. He was right. _Dan_ was right. I really am just like him. I really am a monster."

Danny felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked up to see Dan, only Danny was surprised to see him looking almost sad. Dan looked down at Danny.

"Damn it! I do." Dan exclaimed with his fist tightly clenched. Looking back at Danny, he snarled for a moment. "This isn't for you kid, you got that!"

 _What the hell was he doing?_ Danny thought.

* * *

The vision of young burnt Danny woke Dan from his slumber once more. He sat up in a clammy sweat. Just sitting on the edge of the bed, Dan could hear both Vlad and the young Danny's voice saying the same thing. "Prove it to yourself. If you really are not redeemable, then take that chance. You won't be disappointed."

"Will the both of you just shut up!" Dan turned on the TV, hoping some mindless programming would silence his mind.

"And in other news tomorrow is 'Sweetest Day', the Midwest alternative to Valentine's Day. I hope you got your special someone flowers and a gift, but if you didn't yet, don't worry because this year Amity Floral has come prepared for all those out there who didn't. This is April O'Neal everyone a Happy Sweetest Day." The cherry blonde smiled at the camera just as Dan took the remote and clicked it off.

 _"Come on Danny, she's waiting._ " His conscience whispered into his ear.

 _"Yes, Daniel. Take that chance, get your heart broken one more time,"_ Vlad hissed into his other.

Dan got up and put on his best pair of dark blue jeans and finest flannel shirt, actually making the effort to button all the way to the top this time. He looked in the mirror. "There's something missing."

Dan phased through the hotel ceiling and made his way to the one place that had what he needed: Fenton Works. Making himself intangible, he flew to into the attic, making sure not to make a noise.

Dust covered the whole attic, masking all the worn out boxes and old furniture. 'It has to be here somewhere, it's not like he uses it every day. Hell, it's probably the only fancy thing he owns." He dug through the old dusty boxes until he found what he was looking for. _About damn time!_

"Yeah, I'll check it out, probably just a raccoon again."

At the voice, Dan turned to take his leave to make sure he wouldn't be noticed. He could hear Maddie tumbling up the attic steps, the wooden boards protesting under her weight as she climbed each step, one after the other. Lifting the hatch, Maddie entered the almost forgotten area, seeing boxes scattered about. Then she saw him.

"Please don't go yet." Dan was just about to flee when Maddie inched closer to him "I just want to see my son's face." He turned to face Maddie, seeing the deep pain lying in the confines of her dead violet eyes.

Dan made himself tangible. "How could you see me?"

Tension lingered in the air. "You think I can't tell when my own son is standing right in front of me. Besides, these goggles aren't just a fashion statement." She slowly stepped over to him, caution in every step she took.

"I'm not your son. Not anymore." The words were harsh, and the befallen look that graced her face almost made Dan flinch. But no. He fought back any guilt that tried to break through. She didn't deserve his guilt, and he wasn't allowed to feel any.

"Maddie! Who are you talking to?" Jack screamed up from the first floor. She looked into Dan's eyes as a lone tear fell from her face.

"Just myself, honey! Just reliving some old memories." The last part was whispered more than anything. She pressed on Dan's chest and whispered, "Go, before they see you."

Dan hesitated for a moment but started to walk toward the window.

"Wait," Maddie whispered. She lifted up the black necktie Dan had unearthed. "I believe this is what you came here for."

Dan slowly reached for the tie, unsure of the woman's kind motives, thinking it might be a trick. But once it was in his hands, he clutched it to his palm and phased through the wall, making his exit.

Maddie took a seat on one of the dusty old boxes and looked at one of Danny's baby photos that sat on the ground, another thing collecting dust. "I know you're still in there."

* * *

"Come on, this place has to be somewhere. Ugh, why couldn't I get a date in high school? I wish I knew this shit back then. There it is!" He spotted his destination.

Landing about a block away, Dan made himself intangible once more. Walking by the flowers he picked up a red and yellow rose. 'Red for love, and yellow for friendship.'

 _Ah, yes the hopeless romantic, keyword 'hopeless'._

 _Shut up Plasmius. I'm not giving up on the plan._ Dan growled inside his clouded mind.

 _No, you're just getting sidetracked by a girl that will probably end up dead.I mean, you have killed countless others. Doesn't matter much, right? Dead is dead, and that is all she'll ever be._

Dan bares his teeth, letting the low rumble from deep within his chest escape past his lips; his last warning sign to the voice in his head to shut up.

But it never listens.

 _Then again, what if she ends up being the reason YOU die, what then? All this will be for not. Oh well, it's up to you, little badger. Whichever happens first, my boy, whichever happens first. She really is your weakness, isn't she?_

 _Is she really worth it?_

 _No, she isn't! I refuse to be weak. I will never be him again._

* * *

He was a couple blocks away from the diner when he saw a cloud of smoke rising in the distance, followed by a huge bang. "Sounds like someone's having fun. Wonder who it is this time." He could smell the smoke linger in the air, being nothing short of overwhelming.

Dan made his way to the diner only to see the flaming skeletal remains of the building, and sitting in the center of it was none other than Danny. Dan flew at Danny, the plasma in his hand taking the form of a dagger, ready to pierce Danny's heart.

"I could have stopped this. If I wasn't so full of myself I could've deflected the blade. This is all my fault. He was right. Dan was right. I really am just like him. I really am a monster."

Dan lowered his arm, releasing the plasma blade as it faded into nothing. _You finally get it now, don't you kid. No matter how hard you try you will always fail them. Just a damn shame this one was mine._ Dan placed a hand on Danny's shoulder.

 _He finally gets it, he finally knows. After all this time, he will no longer fight the inevitable! I won! I won!_ He felt his chest pound rapidly in victory. This little shit finally saw what was his fixed destiny. He would always become him. No matter how hard he tried to fight it.

 _Did you really now?_ His conscience broke through. _Look in your right hand, Danny. Red for love, yellow for friendship. All up in flames._

Tears started to streak his cheeks. But the anger consumed him more, and he let it. Tears meant sadness, sadness meant weakness. He wouldn't allow himself to be weak. He wouldn't allow himself to love this girl. He couldn't.

 _Shut up! Don't you ruin this for me!_

 _Does she really deserve to die? Are you truly okay with another person you cared for go out the same way as before?_

"I said, shut up!" Another tear fell unwillingly down Dan's face. He looked down to see his hand holding the flowers glow a bright gold.

 _You can still save her. You can rewrite this. But if you do, Danny will not remember being responsible for their deaths. You must choose, Danny._

The argument between him and his irritating conscious started, and no matter how much he tried, he couldn't shut him out. The voice screamed in his head, demanding attention and nothing short of that.

 _I don't care._

 _You do._

 _I don't._

 _You do._

 _I don't._

 _You do._

 _I don't_

 _You do._

"Damn it! I do." Dan exclaimed with his fist tightly clenched. Danny looked up at Dan, shock slowly consuming his face. He snarled at the thought of this lost victory. "This isn't for you kid, you got that?!"

Dan raised his hand and rotated it counterclockwise as the world around him reset to just before Danny and Shadow arrived above the Diner. He looked in and saw Izzy making a fresh pot of coffee. The sun hitting her just right, her usual dark charcoal strands shimmering in the light.

"Please, be worth it," he whispered under his breath as he took to the sky, leaving the roses on one of the window ledges.

Danny and Shadow arrived just above Dan. "Come on dude, we both know how this is going to end."

Shadow threw the dagger when Dan appeared right in front of Danny and grabbed the blade right out of the air. He glared right at Danny.

"Don't get cocky, kid!" Dan could see the way his weaker self froze in bewilderment and a hint of fear. Danny didn't understand why he was doing this; and honestly a part of himself questioned the same thing.

He crushed the blade, turning it into a puff of smoke that faded in the wind. Dan raised his hand once more, as it glowed the same bright gold. He aimed it at Shadow, causing the ghost to emit a painful shriek.

"No! No! Please don't send me back!" Shadow's body began to seize and shrink, getting smaller and more unstable by the second.

"What are you doing to him?" Danny yelled, standing there in horror, unable to move one inch as his entire body shivered from the horrible sound the dark being emitted. He had only captured ghost and to see one be erased was something like a dark legend in the ghost zone to keep ghost from getting too ambitious, but this makes it real and that shook Danny to his core.

"I'm fixing your mistake." Dan twisted his arm even further as Shadow's screams got louder.

"I don't want to go back to the light! Permanently!" He was begging at this point to be let go, but it fell on deaf ears. Anger seethed in Dan's fiery red eyes. This shadow had almost killed Izzy. He would make this thing pay.

" _You're killing him!"_

Danny lunged at Dan but it was too late. Shadow's form caved in on itself, completely imploding into nothing but a powder of dust; waves of the wind carrying him away. The shriek of pain ceased to exist.

Shadow was no more.

* * *

 **Thank you so much for all the feedback! I can't tell you enough how much I appreciate it. Shoutout to my beta reader, silente faery, :D Until next time**


	14. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13! I'm happy with how this one turned out. I won't keep you any longer, enjoy! I do not own Danny Phantom, Nickelodeon does.**

* * *

"I'm tired of you getting in my way, brat! This ends, _now_!" Dan clenched his fist and compressed his figure, his green aura glowing brighter and brighter. Waves of energy rolled down his body. Danny ran toward him, intending to do anything to stop him.

.

"No, dad you don't have your powers!" Danielle screamed, reaching forward to try to halt his actions. But it was too late; he was forced back by one of Dan's blasts. After he was flung across the room, he lay motionless once again on his back on the chilled tiled lab floor.

Lilith raised her hands, ready to release her usual plasma. Before she could start attacking Dan, he knocked her back with unseeable force towards her dad. She landed on her butt, the sound of her tailbone snapping into two penetrated her eardrums, but she didn't even have time to register the pain as she was slowly falling unconscious. Her hands began to glow bright gold as she reached out towards her father. However, she doesn't know if her hands found him as her eyes slowly close.

 _"All of you can go back to being nothing!"_

Danielle did her best to shield her family by creating a green dome around everyone, but she wasn't sure if she reached her dad in time. Light consumed all of Fenton Works and the entire block surrounding the building. When night once again consumed the sky, all that remained of Fenton Works was chunks of rubble filling most of the basement lab.

Dan looked down at the debris and aimed his hand at it. "Not this time. This time you all stay dead." He fired a massive plasma blast, shaking the surrounding three blocks and scorching the very earth underneath the foundation of the house.

Fenton Works had been erased from existence; nothing remained of the home but ash and dust.

* * *

 _18 hours earlier…_

Danny was in the middle of an awesome dream. He was one of the first humans to explore Mars. His team had just entered a dark cave when he felt something heavy press up against his chest. "My suit's been compromised! There's something inside it with me!" He could feel something wet and slimy glide up his face. "I think it's some sort of tentacle creature!"

"Crap, I've seen that anime before. Close your mouth, Danny! For gosh sakes close your mouth!" The voice came out of an unknown location, but the smooth silk of the tone was still somehow recognizable to Danny. The red hues of Mars's atmosphere started to flicker in and out of reality.

Danny bolted up as he woke.

He looked over to the entrance of his bedroom to see Sam, leaning against the door frame, her hair still knotted from sleep, while wearing his shirt. She was laughing uncontrollably, her arms wrapped tightly around her waist as she tries to compose herself. Her knees buckle as her laughter escalated at the sight. She gripped the doorknob to keep herself upright.

"Good boy Cujo. Good boy." The sweet transparent green dog sat up from his lying position on the halfa's chest, his tongue still sticking out, slightly panting from the kisses he had placed on Danny's face. Noticing Sam, he lept from the bed, bounding over to her, holding his head up proud as he received the pets happily, all the while his tail swishes in excitement.

Danny looked at Sam happy but slightly annoyed. Sending her a light glare, "Did you put him up to this?"

"Yep," Sam beamed with pride and happiness.

She ignored the intensity of his scowl as she continued. "You said you would get up at 8:30 to start helping with the wedding planning and it is now 9:13. So I broke out the old Fenton Whistler and had this little guy wake you up." Sam looked at Cujo. "Did you wake daddy up with kisses, yes you did. Good Cujo." She gave the ghostly dog a few sweet pets for good measure. The recently added member of the Fenton family was a welcomed one.

"Keep it up and he'll be the only one getting kisses for a while."

Sam sauntered up to Danny - her footsteps light and definite - as he sat in bed and pressed her index finger on his bare chest, pushing him down to the bed. "Is that so, ghost boy?" She kissed him passionately on the lips, followed by a series of sweet fleeting ones.

"I love you." He said, the words brushing against her lips.

Her smile only stretched further across her face. "I love you too, ghost boy. No matter what, we'll get through all of this. I know we'll get rid of Dan. Now come on Mr. Manson, we have work to do." Sam rushed out his bedroom door.

"Hey, it's Fenton, Sam!" Danny screamed out.

"We'll wait and see about that!" She quipped back, the steps of the staircase moaning lightly under her weight in a small protest.

Danny made his way downstairs to see all his family sitting down at the table. Wedding stuff masking the entire table, not allowing any of the kitchen furniture. "So Mr. Fenton, how do you feel?" The wedding planner, who Sam's mom hired, asked.

"A little nervous, but I'm ready to do this."

Sam quickly broke in, "Are you sure we have enough time to do this? We have so much already on our plate, why are we adding wedding planning to this? Shouldn't we put this on hold until this threat isn't looming over us?"

"Sammy," Her mother cut in, "You can't just stop your life because of this ghost. What will happen when Lilith and DJ come into the picture? Ghosts will always be around the corner, it's your life sweetheart, it's just how it is. Besides, my girl knows how to take care of herself, and sometimes even take care of the clueless as well."

"Did you really tell everybody, Sam?

Pamela gave a huff of laughter. "Oh please Daniel, you were always oblivious, even when my daughter had been extremely forward."

Knowing her mother was right, and honestly not being able to even respond to her mom's unusual wise words, she nods for the wedding planner to proceed."First off, we have the church booked for next year as requested, so next, we need to know who is going to be in the wedding party."

Sam spoke up first. "Well, as far as my side I really think that we should have Jazz, Danielle, and Valerie, with Danielle being the maid of honor." A shout of glee could be heard from Dani, causing both Danny and Sam to laugh. The light in her crystal eyes seemed to ease everyone's bad mood from the past few days.

Danny continued next, "Well, I'm glad you have a few people. All I have is Tucker, nothing wrong with that but it will be very uneven going down the aisle."

"Considering the two of us have never been normal I think it's fitting that we have a non-normal wedding." Everyone agreed with a small nod.

"Let's not forget that we have some guest visiting from the Ghost Zone too."

"Yeah, you can be the one telling my extended family they're sitting next to a ghost." The goth gave a long roll of her amethyst eyes. "My parents might have changed but the rest of my family is still a bunch of stuck up snobs."

Shrugging his shoulders, Danny offered, "Well if they give us any trouble we can always have Dad put them into the Fenton Thermos." Jack gave a curt nod to that.

"Isn't that rude to the ghost?"

A knowing smirk danced on his lips. "I wasn't talking about the ghost."

She returned the gesture. "Well, glad we're on the same page then."

After talking with the planner, Mrs. Anderson, she tasked them with finding what cake they wanted for the wedding. So Danny, Sam, Danielle, and Lilith went out to go cake-tasting. Since Sam was set on having a vegan cake, they found a place called the Happy Lil' Vegan. Entering the shop, Danny and Lilith were hit with the strong scent of herbs and spices.

"Ugh, why does it smell in here." Danielle pinched her nose close, trying to force the smell from entering her sense of smell again.

Taking a deep breath through her nose, Sam let the soothing smell enters her senses. "It smells like heaven in here." The eighteen year old could hear her younger daughter whisper to the other, "Does that answer your question?" She just ignored the two giggling in laughter and continued to let her mind wonder.

Sam's once again brought out of her moment of complete happiness by the slight pitter patter of rain against the shops windows, shrugging it off as a slight rain shower, she goes forward to continue on with cake testing.

After tasting several samples, everyone agreed on a delicious vegan raspberry cake with a soy cream cheese flavored frosting. Once they exited the building the group noticed that the rain that had been beating down on Amity was at its worst. The heavy grey clouds once again blocked any sunlight that tried to peek through. Danny took off his jacket so Sam could cover her head with it. They ran, trying to get out of the rain as fast as they could. Sam slipped on a puddle and fell into the busy street. She moved to get onto her knees to get up before she caught something just outside her line of vision.

Turning her head, she was blinded by the headlights of an oncoming car. Lilith and Danny saw the car about to hit Sam, so they transformed into their ghost state to rush to Sam as fast as they could. Danny grabbed Lilith in a desperate attempt to sling her forward in order to save her mother. Just as Danny was about to release the throw, the car froze in place along with the entire world around them; the only ones that didn't seem affected were Danny and Lilith. Even the raindrops had stopped mid air.

"What the hell is happening?" Danny said.

Concern flickered across Lilith's face. "Nothing good." Letting go of Lilith, Danny took off for the sky, while Lilith goes to push her mom out of the way. Placing her mother in a safe location she speeds towards her dad.

Eventually, they saw Dan with his hands raised in front of him, talking to himself. "Good. Now that I know how to stop time, I'm one step closer to breaking it open. "I'm gonna make sure your life is a living hell before it ends."

"You know, there are better ways to fight wrinkles than this, but with that blue face you have, I'm not sure if that's going to help all that much." _Okay, maybe Jazz is rubbing off on me._

Dan turned his attention to the cocky halfa, hate embedded in his vancent eyes. "I see you didn't take my advice about taming that ego of yours. I'm telling you, it's going to get you hurt one of these days."

They begun circling each other as time stood still, waiting for the other to attack. "Oh come on, don't give me that crap. That might have been you a long time ago but I don't think you have it in you anymore."

A small form of shock filters across his expression."What the hell are you talking about?"

"Dad, what are you doing?" He could tell she was slightly wary of his taunting tone, but Danny didn't care; he was gonna give Dan what was coming to him.

"That little diner you and I fought Shadow above. I landed in front of it right after you killed Shadow. On my way into the city, I saw you place something on the ledge. Those were some beautiful flowers, eh, loverboy? You know that waitress kinda does look like Sam. Glad to know that even when I'm utter slime I still have good taste in women."

The heat that flared in the elder ghost terrified Lilith, but her dad seemed unfazed. "You better shut up kid if you know what's good for you."

"Tell me, what's going to happen when you kill us? Are you going to leave her here to be forgotten or do you think a humble waitress is interested in being with you? How do you think it's gonna pan out when she finds out that you've killed people? _She will hate you."_

"I said shut it!" He growled through his gritted teeth.

He could feel his daughter creeping up behind, catution weighing in her float. "Dad, maybe we should back off just a little," Lilith suggested, seeing how Dan started to seethe with anger.

The rage started to seep off his body in crashing ripples, rounding the three, almost suffocating her. However, her dad once again ignored the feeling that was encompassing them.

Ignoring his daughter's warnings, he continued, "Who are you kidding you can't love her, hell you can't even protect her. Just like the actual Sam."

That set him off, Dan lunged at Danny with speed never before seen by any Fenton. Dan landed punch after punch, sending Danny flying far with each and every hit. As soon as Danny was some distance away he shot a plasma blast at him, hitting Danny directly in the chest and knocking him through one of the nearby buildings. Rubble and dust spewed up from the impact, saturating the space. Dan sped to him in record time, picking him off the ground by his ankle, then he flung him outside through another wall. As Danny fell to the ground unconscious, Dan appeared below him almost instantaneously, catching him by the arm. Rising high in the air, Dan punched Danny right in the kidney.

Dan stood there, looming over Danny with a sadistic face eating grin as the flames in his hair flickered back and forth. "Wake up, boy! What, did that silver tongue turn to lead? Where are all those quips you love so much?"

Danny looked horrible. Bruises littered his body, his hair scattered about on his head with gravel bits intertwined with the strands. Torn pieces of his suit laid limp on the ground. Danny opened his left eye as his right was swollen shut, his vision taking a few seconds to clear from the blur that shook Dan's outline.

"Good, you're awake. You know, I was waiting to do this when your family was watching, kinda a little reverse irony right. But no, you just had to shoot that mouth of yours, didn't you?" Dan used his other hand to grab Danny by the throat. His hand began to glow bright gold as Danny squirmed.

"Don't worry, I'm not going to erase you like I did with Shadow. I'm just going to get rid of those pesky powers and then the pavement can do the rest." Dan smiled a toothy evil grin. "Goodbye, Danny."

"Hold it, creep!" Both heads twist their deads to see Lilith floating in the air, a desperate expression playing on her face, "You set him down safe and sound or I'll..." Lilith's threat trailed off into thin air. She didn't know exactly what to do.

"You'll what? You can't touch me, not even close. But hey, let's just assume you have something big up your sleeve. How are you going to stop me and save your mother at the same time?"

Her breath left her once more as she spun around to see her mother yet again in front of the oncoming car. "How the heck is she back there, I just put her somewhere safe?"

Dan, however, doesn't respond, only raises his free hand as it glows bright red. "I'm a nice guy and I hear that you are quite fast so how about this. I will give you to the count of three to save her before I unfreeze time."

"ONE."

Lilith looked at Danny. He shook his head no as his gaze drifted below to Sam. Lumps started to form in her throat, making her have to choke down rubble filled air. The heaviness of her breath echoed in her ears, in her mind as well as she looked between her mom and dad.

"TWO."

Adrenaline started to course through her veins, making her heart slam rapidly against the bounds of her caged chest. If the world wasn't paused, Lilith was sure time would have come to a hazy slow. She had one choice. She only had one option. She took off, darting down as fast as she could.

Dan's smile widened even more.

"THREE!"

Time resumed as Lilith gets both her mother and herself out of the way of the oncoming car just in time. The car sped past them, kicking up dust and dirt from the gravel. The rain started to belt down even faster and harder than before as everything came back to life. Lilith could feel her wild heart start to regulate more as everything seemed to calm around them for the moment. She almost let out a terrified scream as her mom in front of her dissipated into thin air.

 _Wait. It's just a clone._ Her head snaps to the location of where she had placed her real mother to confirm her suspicions. _Phew_

Going to her real mom, Lilith forced out, "Are you okay, Mom?" They're both soaked to the bone from the harsh rain. Their hair matted to their wet skin, clothes doused in water.

Sam nods. They look up to the sky to see no sign of Dan or Danny.

That moment didn't last long, It never did.

Sam looked confused. "Lilith, where's your dad?" The two look around when the sickening sound of flesh hitting concrete answered the question for them.

* * *

Danielle paced back and forth as her dad lay unconscious on the lab's medical bed. They had been here for hours and every moment that ticked by just made more of the anxious feeling bubble in her aching chest. Lilith was sure Danielle's constant pacing would wear a hole in the floor.

Everyone was gathered in the lab, all sleep deprived but awake and fighting their sleep filled haze. Jazz had even taken a plane and a rental car to get to Amity. Valerie, Pamela, Jeremy, and Jazz were upstairs, brewing a pot of coffee in an attempt to stay awake.

The doctor walked up to Danny's family. "You know, he is really lucky to be alive after a fall like that. Even luckier that you have your own x-ray machine. But I'm afraid that's where the good news ends. You see when he fell, he severed three of his vertebrae just above his tailbone. I hate to tell you this but even with the most advanced modern technology, he will never be able to walk again. I apologize, but you will have to excuse me. I have other patients to attend to and your son is stable."

Silence filled the room with a foul odor when the doctor took his leave, taking any traces of hope with him.

The empty silence in the air swaddled everyone, leaving nothing but a bitter taste on their tongues. Lilith could feel the burning anger dig deep into the pits of her stomach. She only stared blankly ahead to the Ghost Zone. She had no willpower to direct her attention, and she really didn't care to even try. She didn't feel much more than anger and one other thing.

Numbness. That was the only other thing she could ironically feel she and by the looks on everyone else faces, she guessed she wasn't alone in that. "I can't believe this. This should have never happened. We should have captured him long ago, I should have just done my freakin' job like I was supposed to and now Dad paid the price."

Danielle walked up to Lilith and placed her hand on her shoulder. Trying to break the tension, Danielle offered a small forced smile. "Do me a favor squirt. Just shut up will you? You feeling pity for yourself isn't going to heal his back, nor will it give him his powers back."

The anger filled spark in her eyes seemed to melt away and hope took its place as Lilith's eyes widened; her entire face lit up as an idea flooded her mind."That's it!"

"What's it?" Danielle asked.

Lilith grabbed a piece of paper and gilded it across Danielle's finger, giving her a paper cut.

Wrenching her hand back, Danielle screeched in pain. "Ow! Damn it, Lilith. What the hell was that for?" The only response she got for a moment is an ever-growing smile on her younger sisters face.

Her sister, however, pushed aside her question, instructing her instead. "Look at your finger." Danielle did as told, only to see the blood that was once trickling down her index finger was gone along with the cut itself. "So what? It's gone, it was just a paper cut."

Lilith's beaming smile never faltered. "Yes but for the average person that cut might take a day to heal and yours healed in seconds." She explained as if everyone should have been jumping for joy at her vague words.

One eyebrow raised, Danielle gestured between their dad and them."Yeah, that's apart of our powers. Powers Dad no longer has and we can't just put him in the Ghost portal and hope it microwaves the powers back into him without killing him. Because let me tell you, in his state he doesn't stand a chance."

"You don't get it. You know how we can phase into non-powered people when we touch them. Maybe our healing can work the same way."

Danielle blinked in astonishment. She had to wait for the shock to wear off before she was able to speak. "That's actually pretty genius. But if you ever do that paper cut thing again you're waking up in Cujo's kennel."

The two place their hands over Danny. Making their hands intangible, they lowered their hands inside of Danny. Seconds passed by and Danny's body started to glow a pale shade of green as his toes began to twitch, but soon they became petrified once more. Nothing more happened beyond that point. Why wasn't this working?

"I don't think we have enough power." Danielle's eyes became a cloudy fog of tears, the white of her eyes becoming bloodshot with crimson red. "The only other halfa's are either out in space or want him dead. Neither of which would help us anyway."

Lilith removed her hands from her dad and placed one on the time median. "I know one halfa who will."

Lilith opened a portal and walked into it. A couple moments later she returned with a smile on her face.

"So where the heck is this other halfa?"

A knowing smile crashed onto her lips. "Just wait, the little shit likes to make an entrance."

A gust of wind smacked everyone hard in the face as they saw a blur zoom past everyone. Blinking rapidly Danielle could see what looked like a far younger and slimmer version of her father: ghostly white hair, the same sharp face structure, the same blue crystal eyes. His body structure, however, seemed to be leaner than Danny's.

"So, who is he?" Danielle asked. She blinked once more and the thin Danny appeared in front of her shaking her hand rapidly.

The jumble of words that fell from the kid's lips made Danielle's head spin as she tried to catch them. "Name's D.J. short for Danny Junior you must be the younger version of my oldest sister Danielle..." He whipped his head to the right. "Along with my mother and grandparents while they are still in their prime..."

In the midst of the horrible events that unfolded with Dan today, Sam was contemplating on whether she needed to ground her son before he was even born.

D.J. zoomed in front of Jack, looking him up and down in a fraction of a second. "You lose a lot of weight in the future."

Yeah, he's grounded.

He zoomed back to Lilith. "So what's the stitch, sis?"

"It's Dad, Speed Brain. He doesn't have his powers and he's hurt real bad. We need..."

He interrupted, his electric green eyes bouncing back and forth every few seconds."You need the combined power of all three of us to heal whatever injury he has."

Danielle's mind starts to race as fast as the words that are falling from the kid's lips; hoping to keep up. "Yeah...you catch up pretty..."

He interrupted once again, annoyance on the edge of his voice. "Fast yeah that's kinda my thing."

"Hey Quiky, focus will ya?" He stuck his tongue out in a childish-manner, but did as told. This was his first time helping his older sister with a mission, and even in his always hyper-state he didn't want to fail her. Slowing down his movements, he took a deep breath to focus his mind.

Everyone's shoulders and back arched with tension as the three marched towards their dad. This was their only hope. Lilith could feel her own chest start to heave up and down with every second that ticked by. The three placed their hands on Danny, their hands again disappearing into his body. This time Danny's body glowed a bright green that illuminated the entire room; reflecting off their faces.

Everyone held their breath as they waited. A full minute passes.

Nothing.

Another

Still nothing.

Another.

With every passing moment, Lilith realized one thing:

 _It wasn't working._

The air seemed to still around them, bringing on a weight that didn't seem possible to bear on anyone. It seemed to grip her deep within her, cementing her to the ground and made her feel like she would fall to the floor any minute. She couldn't even force herself to remove her hands from their healing position on her dad. Everyone's face sank at the sight; Lilith's amethyst eyes downcasted to her feet. No. This was supposed to work, it had to, how could it not? But as much as she begged for it to work, her dad's limp body stayed deadly still.

Then, suddenly, out of the corner of her eye, she saw movement, snapping her head to attention, she saw his feet begin to move once more and the entire room released a breath of relief, their shoulders sagged with ease, and the weight instantly released its grip on her. The three removed their hands and smiled.

D.J. looked to Lilith. "Do you think he's okay now?"

"We'll have to keep an eye on him, but yes. I think so."

D.J. took off through the open portal. Within moments he came back to Lilith once more. "When you come back make sure you say hi to Uncle, he's been annoying everyone since you left. Guy's like a freekin' lost puppy when you're gone." With that, he zoomed back into the portal just before it snapped shut.

 _What the heck did he mean by that? Sure, uncle Clockwork missed me when I go on a mission, but he hardly ever leaves his tower. Why would he be trailing my family all up_ s _et_? Ignoring the thought for the moment, Lilith just shook her head to regain her focus.

"Is he always like that?" Danielle asked, disrupting her sister's thoughts.

A soft smile spreads across the younger halfa's face. "No, that's him off of sugar. You should see what he's like on it."

Danny opened his eyes and saw both Sam and Danielle sitting next to him with smiles so beautiful it almost hid their streaked, tear-filled eyes. "How long have I been out?"

Sam's head spins to the clock and back to him. "About twelve hours or so."

Danny tried to move but the pain held him firmly to the bed. Clenching his teeth to soften his cries of pain, he lays back down carefully, he looked at Sam. "What happened to me? The last thing I saw was Lilith flying toward you. Then black."

"Danny, I'm not sure how to say this, but Dan took away your powers and when he did he dropped you from what Danielle says was an extreme height. We figure the only reason you didn't die was that you still had a sliver your power when you hit the ground."

"Well, we will just have to wheel me into the ghost portal and get my powers back." His eyes shifted to the Ghost Zone.

"That's something too." A nervous grimace flashed across Sam's' face. "You can't do that until you are fully healed, otherwise you might not survive."

"So I'm just sitting here till I heal naturally. What about Dan?"

"I'm sure we'll find something, we always do."

"CODE RED! CODE RED!" Everyone's heads snapped up, eyes wide as they saw the last person they wanted to appear. Dread flowed over everyone as they realized they were all to tired and weak to fight him off; still, they all pulled their weapons.

"I'm tired of you getting in my way, brat! This ends, NOW!" Dan clenched his fist and compressed his figure, a green aura produced around him glowing brighter and brighter. Danny ran toward him.

"No, dad you don't have your powers!" Danielle screamed, reaching forward, trying to halt his actions. But it was too late; he was forced back by one of Dan's blast, After being flung across the room, he lay motionless once again on his back on the chilled tiled lab floor.

Lilith raised her hands, ready to release her usual plasma. Her hands began to glow bright gold, but before she could start attacking Dan, he knocked her back towards her dad. She landed on her butt. Her hands began to glow bright gold as she reaches out towards her father.

 _"All you can go back to being nothing!"_

Dannielle did her best to shield her family, creating a green dome around everyone, but she wasn't sure if she reached her dad in time. Light consumed all of Fenton Works and the entire block surrounding the building. When night once again consumed the sky, all that remained of Fenton Works was chunks of rubble filling most of the basement lab.

Dan looked down at the debris and aimed his hand at it. "Not this time. This time you all stay dead." He fired a massive plasma blast, shaking the surrounding three blocks and scorching the very earth underneath the foundation of the house. Fenton Works had been erased from existence; nothing remained of the home but ash and dust.

* * *

Danielle woke up in a cold room under a fur blanket. She blinks a few times to make her vision become steady once more. Bringing her hand to her face, she inspecst it for any cuts and bruises, but found nothing to worry about. Her muscles scream in protest as she lifts herself into a sitting position. Looking at her surroundings, she saw all her family, all but one.

Maddie walked up to her and places a hand on her arm."Are you alright, sweetie?"

Danielle felt very sore but to her knowledge, nothing felt broken. "Yeah, I think so. Her voice sounded hoarse, even to her own ears. "What all happened? It happened so fast I can't remember."

"When Dan was about to fire the first blast you made us intangible and activated the ghost portal. When the blast went off, you used the debris as a cover and sent us all through before he could finish his mission. You saved us all." A tear fell down Maddie's face. "Almost all of us."

"What do you mean, almost all of us?" She looked around the room to see her mother hunched over gripping the class ring her dad gave her years ago, tears running down her face. "Where's Dad?"

"Sweetie it's okay." Her grandma tried to reassure her.

That did nothing to calm her growing fears. She shuffles to her feet despite when her body stretches, and begs for her to sit down. "No, where's Dad?"

A wary expression crossed her face. "Honey, you need to just take a moment."

Her heart skipped a beat as the situation completely hit her in its entirety. Danielle's eyes turned bright red, and her hair stood on end catching fire. Fangs protruded out from her gums.

 _"Where is dad?!"_

The room began to shake as the glass in every window shattered. Everyone around her was knocked back to the nearest wall.

 _"Where is he!?"_ She roared out.

Sam got up and started walking to Danielle, even with her power doing its best to keep everyone away and pressed to the walls. She forced each leg in front of the other as she stormed over to her daughter. Her clothing began to tear as she got closer. Soon bruises showed up all over her body as she fought the sheer power Danielle was emitting. Sam reached her hand out to grab her daughter.

Danielle's face was scowling with pure hatred and anger. Finally, Sam was able to pull her daughter to her chest, running her hands up and down the young girl's arms. She could feel her Danielle start to calm and held her tighter to her chest. Danielle's flaming hair extinguished, her eyes returned to their normal azure. The room became a dead stillness once again. Nothing stirred as Danielle buried her head in her mom's shoulder, letting go of harsh tears. Both women began to weep in the comfort of each other's arms, knowing that their worse imagnale dream came true.

Their hero was no more.

* * *

 **Shoutout to my beta reader,** **silente faery**

 **And there we go! Don't hate me! Lol. Until next time, as Clockwork would say, all is as it should be.**


	15. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14! So I know last chapter was pretty harsh, and for most of this one, it is too. Sorry about that. I hope you enjoy though! Let me know your thoughts, comments are always appreciated! Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom, Nickelodeon does.**

* * *

Danielle stayed in bed for most of the following day. Life didn't bring her the same happiness it did just a couple days ago. Finally, she could manage to get out of the fur covered bed. Frostbite had been kind enough to let them stay there for a time since they were now homeless but that didn't matter to her. All she wanted was to see her father again. As she walked around she could see the whole Fenton family doing their best to keep it together.

Jazz had been hugging everyone in sight but knew to give Danielle her space for the time being. Her mom, Tucker, Valerie, and Lilith had been telling stories about their favorite times with her dad. Everyone was surprised to see Lilith still around with the loss of Danny. Lilith had explained this as her being under a state of temporal grace. Basically saying that because she traveled through time so often it would take time longer to correct itself when it came to her. Still, she knew it would only be a matter of time.

Grandpa and grandma periodically took turns going off to mourn as not to bring down the mood any more than what it was. Tears filled everyone's eyes, all but Dani's. Tears meant sadness; she longed for sadness, begged for it really, she longed for any emotion.

At one point, she heard Aunt Jazz talking to Valerie about holding a funeral and her mom and the rest of the family having to make the arrangements. She didn't see why it mattered though. There was no body. What was the point of mourning over someone who couldn't even be properly buried? Instead, she stared out the broken windows and watched as time passed, with numbness filling every second.

* * *

Night had taken over Frostbite's castle. The fact that this part of the Ghost Zone had days and nights had always fascinated Danielle, but sadly she felt nothing at the moment. She wasn't sure what time it was, all she knew is that she wouldn't sleep that night. Watching everyone toss and turn, she could tell it was going to be a long night. Keeping her steps light, she went over to Lilith. Danielle placed a hand gently on her forehead so not to wake her.

"I'm so sorry, sister. I wish I could save you, I wish I could save Dad too." She looked at Lilith's time medallion. Danielle emitted a small stream of plasma, cut the chain-cloth of the necklace, and slowly pulled it away from her unconscious sister. Looking back at Lilith, Danielle felt a little bit of guilt.

"I know you would do the same in my position. You just have all those restrictions." She held the necklace tight in her hand as it burned bright green. "I don't give a damn about Clockwork's rules, I'm saving both of you and if he has a problem with it he can go to hell."

As her hand tightened she could both feel and hear the medallion start to crack as light burst out. The room was encased in bright green, forcing Danielle to close her eyes. When she opened her eyes once more, she was back at Fenton Works and saw Dan frozen floating high above everyone as he was charging his first blast. She saw the past version of herself raise the shield around everyone. She walked to Danny, who was frozen still as he was running toward Dan. Reaching her hand out nervously she touched Danny, as sweat dripped down her face. She took a deep breath as though coming up for air after a deep dive.

The complexity covering her dad's face made her chest ache even more. She never knew just how great of a dad she had until the very moment when she didn't have one. She refused to take that for granted again. "Danielle move out of the way! Dan is here and I..." Danny looked around to see the world around him frozen. "What is going on?"

Danielle wasted no time gives him a hug, crushing him to her chest so tight he thought she was her grandfather. She could feel the tears start to roll down her cheek, and she sighed in relief of feeling something other than numbness.

He pulled back slightly from the hug, but let her arms remain around his waist. Worry colored his voice. "No, seriously what the heck is going on?"

Danielle tried her best to give a reassuring smile. "Don't worry about that. Come on, we have to go in case time starts up again."

Danny looked around before walking to Danielle. He saw the past Danielle frozen mid shielding of the rest of the family. "Why are there two of you?" he asked.

Irritation gripped at her tone this time."I said don't worry about it, now hurry." She tugged at his arms to make him move forward, but he didn't move an inch. It was like tugging on a rock.

Authority boomed in his voice as he demanded,"No, I need to know what's happening." His eyes spoke nothing but seriousness. He wasn't going to come easy.

With the guilt rising in her stomach, Danielle ignored it. Sighing, she inhaled a deep breath, turned, reeled back her arm, and before he could even comprehend what was happening, punched her father unconscious. Picking him up and putting him over her shoulder, she walked towards the portal. "Sorry dad, but you'll thank me later. But I'm so grounded."

Danielle hiked through the portal as a blinding light once again took over, the sound of the medallion cracking filled the void between times. She opened her eyes once more to see her mother tapping her foot on the ground, along with Lilith standing beside her arms crossed with a scowl on her face.

"Where the hell did you go young lady?"

Her sarcasm seeped through her voice. "Well slightly older mother, I went to go retrieve something very valuable."

Lilith's sneering scowl shifts to dread and worry in one minute flat. "Danielle... What did you do?" Danielle could see her younger sisters knees begin to shake at what she might have done; as if she was about to collapse. Dani didn't care though, she did this for them.

With a smile on her face, she bent over and placed her father on the ground on his back. She could feel her own happiness radiating from her body, blinding her to the full reality of the situation.

Snatching her sister's arm, Lilith dragged Danielle off to the side, keeping her voice as quiet as possible, but still letting the words come out harshly. "What the hell Dani! Do you know what you just did!?" She could just feel the anger stirring inside, and as much as she loved her sister, this was something that she shouldn't have done. She didn't know the rules of time travel, nor was she prepared for the consequences if something went wrong.

"Yes, I saved our father. You should be thanking me."

Clasping her hands together, and bringing them in front of her nose, Lilith tried to keep her breathing even. "Listen, I want him back just as much as you do but there are rules for this kinda thing. There are consequences! How did you eve-" She stopped mid-sentence to clutch at her chest, only to be meant with thin air. Nothing cold and metallic like there should've been. Nothing. "You took my time medallion! Do you know how dangerous this is!? I've had years of practice with the it!"

This, however, only enraged Danielle more. She could feel the heat starting to cover her face. "I don't care. He didn't deserve to die!" She bites her lip to keep it from trembling. Her eyes burned with tears; no matter how much she tried to flicker them away, they tumbled forward. Her windpipe felt tight from yelling, but she didn't care.

Lilith grasped her stomach, moaning softly in pain as the color drained from her face. It took a few moments until the pain started to subside and she was standing back up straight. Slight waves of pain still tumbled in her stomach, but she ignored them.

Concern gripped Sam as she wrapped a protective arm around Lilith's shoulders, smoothing small circles on the small of her back. "Lily are you okay?"

"Yeah," She reassured her as she regained her balance. "I'm fine, just some stomach pain."

* * *

Danny began to stir. Opening his eyes the first thing he was greeted with was Sam looking down at him, with bloodshot eyes and blotchy red spots scattered about on her usual flawless skin. Her amethyst eyes were voided of any emotions whatsoever. It frightened him that she looked so...empty. "Sam, what's happening? Where am I?"

The tension between the three young women was palpable. No one would talk. Deciding that no one was going to speak Danny decided the job fell on him, so he asked, "Are you three okay?"

Danielle placed a finger over her lip, picking at the dried skin. "Yeah, we're just a little concerned for you. You're still injured and without your powers, you will need a lot of rest, so how about you get into one of those beds before you fall again." But she could tell that he didn't buy that if the suspicion that flooding his face told her anything.

Danny looked around, seeing the icy castle that housed him at the moment. "I know where we are. This is Frostbite's castle! How did we get here? I have so many questions."

Sam almost leaped up to Danny and placed her arm around him, trying to lift him from the steel table that Frostbite had placed him on. "Come on, sweetie." Her voice remained a sweet, calming coo, which only worried Danny further. "Let's get you to sit down."

"Wait, sweetie? Okay, something is going on and I want to know what." They weren't one for nicknames, only in very serious times, especially something so sugary sweet. Their eyes locked on to each other, but she tore away from their intense staredown as quick as she could, not wanting to see the questions that lay in the depths of them.

"It's nothing, really. Just our daughter overstepped her boundaries." She sent an intimidating glower to Danielle, and then sent her focus back to Danny. "But please don't worry right now. We're just happy to see you after we all escaped." Sam walked Danny over to the main bed and had him rest.

Lilith pushed Danielle in the chest, pulling her to the side once more. "We have to fix this!"

Dani's nose twitched, and she bared her teeth in a sign of anger. "Fix what? He's alive, I'd say that's pretty fixed, wouldn't you? And how the hell are you still even here? I took your time medallion. Shouldn't you wiz back to DJ?" Danielle knew she was basically throwing a tantrum as she scowled at her younger sister, but she was technically older, so she had to know more than Lilith.

Lilith paused as she hadn't thought about that yet, halting her words and thoughts in their treks. "That's actually a valid point, but that's not what we're talking about right now! You know I'm really starting to miss the future you. You know it may have taken a couple decades but at least then you know basic responsibility!"

Dani was almost screaming at this point; she couldn't help it. Maybe if she talked louder Lilith would just get it. "Well, you would have done the exact same thing if you truly loved him!" Danielle, however, knew that her words weren't getting through Lilith's thick skull as she saw a fire ignite in Lilith's amethyst eyes.

"Come again!?" She challenged her sister to utter the same words that had slipped from her small lips.

A coy smirk took its place on Danielle's mouth, knowing she hit a sore spot in her sister. "No, I think you got the message pretty damn clear." Crossing her arms over her chest in victory, she figured this fight was over, that she had won. 'Lilith should just get used to it, this won't be the first time I'll win.'

So to Danielle's slight surprise, Lilith raised an open palm as a green plasma ball floated just inches above it, ready to release it on her sister. Shifting her weight, she brought her left leg a few inches behind herself, twisting her torso along with it, to steadily balance her stance as she prepared to fire. A fierce growl left her throat. "Take that back!"

She didn't let this threatening facade phase her though, instead, she just narrowed her eyes. "Make me, you box ghost wannabe."

Lilith raised her hand as high as she could. "Last chance, sis!" she warned through gritted teeth.

Taunting her on, she invited, "Go for i...Crud!" But her words halted in their tracks as she saw something that terrifies her. " LILITH LOOK AT YOUR ARM!"

Lilith looked up to see nothing but air. Looking at her arm, all she saw was an empty sleeve sagging by her side. "What the hell is happening?"

"Where's your arm?"

"This doesn't make sense, you saved Dad from the blast. I should be solidified in reality."

Slowly all of Lilith features began to disappear, first her other arm, then her legs, chest, neck, and finally her face. All the while she screamed, _"help me!_ " before she finally disappeared into the thin air.

Danielle jumped at her but was met with nothing. Her sister had vanished. Sam turned around when she heard Lilith scream. "Danielle, what happened to your sister?"

Her eyes snapped to her mom, her eyes mirroring the worry in her own her mouth ajar. "Mom, I think I screwed up!"

Sam's jaw snapped closed in a split second. Her eyes heated up with anger.

Trying to keep her bare minimum grip on what was left of her calm exterior, she asked,"Where did she go!?"

Her hands went to her hair, gripping the strands in chunks, she did her best as to not to pull them out. Choking down her panic, she mumbled her quick explanation. "I think she was just erased!"

Her eyes blankly stared at her. There was a weighted pause as she waited for her mom to say something, anything. Then finally, she said in a flat voice,"I'm sorry, what?"

Danielle ran to her father in tears. "Dad, I messed up! I really messed up!"

Inhaling a deep breath, he asked, "What did you do, Danielle?" His stance was filled with tension. His crystal blue eyes hardened with an unknown emotion to Danielle, and it really worried her. He wasn't really one to let his emotion take control of him and she could tell he was keeping his feelings in check as his whole body started to tremble.

Danielle looked down in both sadness and shame. She simply whispered,"I saved your life."

Danny looked around for a moment of contemplation. "I didn't make it out of Fenton Works did I?" The words sounded even worse falling from his lips. The acceptance that he hadn't made it, the bare knowledge. He now knew his fate and Danielle had to force the tears at bay back once more.

Danielle just shook her head no.

"I understand." He looked at Sam."We all know what has to happen. I mean we have all seen this in sci-fi. Just please give me one last kiss before I go." Her mom gives a curt nod, slowly making her way to him, as if every step counted. She brought her lips to Danny's and the kiss was slow, passionate, with so much depth of the love that they held together. Danielle could tell she was giving this kiss her all, knowing it'd be the last.

Pulling away from Sam, Danny faced Danielle. "However you got me here, you have to take me back."

Tears fell down Danielle's eyes. She wanted to protest, hold her ground. Refuse to take him back. But as her heart sunk at the idea of Lilith being forever gone, it shattered her heart even further.

"You know we have to make this right, and if there is even a chance it will bring your sister back, maybe even for a moment, it's worth it. My time is over, and I can't live knowing that I'm responsible for my own daughter's death." The water that fell from his eyes burned, along with a tight pressure to his chest.

"I just don't want to lose you again." Her words were hopeless, in vain really, and meaningless. She knew what she had to do. Nothing would change that, no argument would be strong enough.

"I know, But it's what has to happen." Danny picked up the time medallion and handed it to Danielle. "We have to go."

This had to be a dream. This entire thing just had to be a crazy messed up thing that her subconscious made up of her worst fears compressed into one nightmare. But she knew it wasn't, and that made the situation even worse if possible. Danielle crushed the medallion once more as a portal opened in the middle of the room.

Danielle and Danny walked to the portal. Looking back at Sam, he gave her a small sad smile.

Danielle could see the tremble of her mother's lips as she tried to fight back her instinct to run to him and pull her love back into her arms.

Danny said, "I love you, please let the rest of them know how much I love them too, more than you can ever know. I know one day we will see each other again. Don't tell them about this, okay? I don't want them hurting any more than they already are. Goodbye."

With his goodbye said, they walked into the portal, disappearing in a blinding ray of light. They exited right where Danielle rescued him, time still frozen, fate still the same. Danny moved into his position. Laying in front of Lilith; her eyes shut from the sheer force that had knocked her to her butt next to him. her arms stretched out towards him, a slight shade of gold festering around her fists. Looking at Danielle he placed his hands on her shoulders.

Bringing her into a warm embrace, he softly whispered,"I love you sweetie, and even though I know it will be hard I know you can do it. Make sure to take care of your mother for me. You're a Fenton. You're stronger than you think. I love you."

Tears ran down their faces as they embraced in one last hug. Danielle walked at a crawl speed over to the portal. "Goodbye, Dad."

The portal closed and time resumed as it should.

Danielle came back to see Lilith lying on the ground asleep but intact. _Why is it that when Dad is dead, she's still here, but the moment that I brought him back, alive, she disappeared_? "Are you okay, sweetie?" Her mom asked, walking over to her, rubbing her hands up and down the length of her daughter's arm.

"No, but I think maybe one day I just might be. Do you think what he said was true, that we might see him again?" Suddenly the rest of the family made their way over, unaware of what had conspired. She remembered what her dad was saying, of not wanting them to have the extra weight of their shoulders of him knowing his own fate and the fact that there had been a moment where he had might've escaped it.

"I don't know sweetie, but with our lives fighting ghosts, there just might be a chance. Maybe we'll run into him." Him, his ghost form. His only form now. By the pitch of her voice, Danielle could tell her mom didn't believe it much herself. She said it more to calm her fears, which in reality didn't do much.

Tucker came over next to Danielle, wrapping a comforting arm around her. She accepted the invitation of comfort from her boyfriend and nuzzled her head into his neck, letting a few tears slip. Not knowing to approach the subject, Tucker said, "Frostbite wanted to speak with us, to help come up with a plan to take Dan down."

She gave an understanding nod and they start to stroll to a room where Frostbite and the rest of the Far Frozen usually held their meetings. Her mom fell into step next to her, matching Danielle's pace.

Breaking her stride, she pulled away from Tucker when she realized something. Turning to Lilith, she lept to the young girl, engulfing her in a warm hug. "I'm so sorry sis, I shouldn't have antagonized you. I love you, I really hope you can forgive me."

She could feel the smile that took her sisters face against her shoulder and instantly knew she was forgiven. "I forgive you, Danielle. We _are_ sisters after all. Now I can say we actually got into a sibling fight. We've never done that before, seeing as you're a mature adult."

"You know, I'm still no-"

Everything suddenly went dark; abruptly cutting off Danielle. Lightning began to dance all around the room, hitting the far wall and creating a giant crack. The crack began to stretch as a hand emerged. The hand pressed against the wall and pulled itself even further out. Soon the rest of the figure emerged, covered in hot pink slime.

The figure got on its feet and wiped the goo off its face and then threw its hands in the air. Danny cried with enthusiasm. "WOO HOO! I TOLD YOU I'D SEE YOU AGAIN!" He stood strong and proud. His pale skin was its usual shade. What surprised everyone was his crystal blue eyes staring back at him. His messy inky black hair was in his same usual hairdo.

Inky black hair.

Crystal blue eyes.

Daniel James Fenton stood there, in his human form. A beaming smile on his lips.

Danielle gasped. "Daddy!"

Everyone scrambled forward, Danielle being the first to throw herself at her dad with everyone else following suit. With the force of everyone climbing onto him, he fell backward, unable to hold everyone up, including his dad.

"Seriously you guys, I'm covered in all of this icky goo. Can you at least give me a moment to wash off?"

Sam sent him a harsh glare, her lips set into a deep frown. "Daniel James Fenton. Where the heck have you been? How are you here? How are you alive? I'm about to give you back your ghost powers in full."

He gave a chuckle at her half empty threat. "I'll tell you everything in a while. I need to wash up and spend some time with you three." His eyes fixated on his girls.

Catching his gaze, Sam returns the soft smile.

Yeah, they could wait a bit. They had their dad back. That's all that mattered in the end.

* * *

 **You didn't honestly think I'd keep him dead, did you? I wouldn't be able to bear it. Now to find out where the heck he was and what happened. Did you guys like the sibling fight? I honestly imagen that's how it'd be with siblings that have ghost powers, lol. Anyway, except the next update on Tuesday. Until next time!**

 **Shout Out to beta reader, silente faery, cause I don't know where I'd be without ya!**


	16. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15. I actually like this chapter. Hope you guys enjoy. I do not own Danny Phantom, Nickelodeon does. Trigger warning for thoughts of suicide.**

* * *

Gathered in Frostbite's meeting room, Danny sat snuggly in a small chair with Danielle and Sam on either side; they refused to leave him. Lilith sat in her own chair but was still just an arm's length away. Danny couldn't help but smile at the mere thought that his daughters and fiancée wanted to stay by his side.

"So Great One, please explain to us what happened?"

His eyes scanned the room of his entire family, all had different expressions on their faces, but one thing was common: complete confusion. He could tell that they were worried, but not to the point where they were weighed down by it. Danny knew it wouldn't last, but for now, he was thankful for the moment of peace

Everything felt like a jumbled mess in his mind. Everything that had happened there flew around in his mind, hitting every crevice only to bounce back only to try to find another wall.

"I don't know where to even begin." He felt stumped; everything that had happened in what felt like hours to him took days for his family. His hand flew to the back of his neck, lightly scratching it in a nervous twitch.

"How about at the beginning?" his mom offered. The guilt started to build up when he saw how drained she looked. Her eyes were laced with sleep, and deep purple and black bags hugged the skin underneath her eyes. Her fiery hair was askew all over her head. To put it in simple terms, she looked more ghostly than he did in his ghost form.

Danny lets out a small sigh. "Okay. I'll start from the last place I remember….."

* * *

There was an explosion of light, encompassing the entire room. Shivers ran down Danny's entire being, clawing at his core. An explosion sounded throughout the empty space around him. Suddenly the smell of saline filled the air, overpowering all of his senses. Then the crying of a small child started to take control of the room. Forcing his eyes open, Danny was momentarily blinded by the harsh light of a hospital room. Shifting his head to the side, he was met with the image of a younger version of his mom and dad.

His mom was in a compromising position as the nurse delivered baby Danny.

Closing his eyes once more, Danny opened them to see another scene again.

This time he was back home at Fenton Works. His parents entered the house with baby Danny tucked safely in his mother's arms. He could see the little scowl that small two year old Jazz held on her face as she crossed her arms over her chest. She snuffed her nose up to the air, not giving her baby brother one ounce of attention. They tried to convince her to give her baby brother a chance, but she wouldn't budge.

Blinking his eyes once more, the scene changed to himself as a one year old. He was learning the basics of how to walk, stumbling the first few times as he held Maddie's hands, and then eventually tried to do it by himself. He then gained momentum after several tries. He saw his dad behind him with a video camera and his mom in front, encouraging his first steps. They cheered in excitement as he mastered his steps.

With each blink of his eyes, he was brought closer to the present day. Then he realized one important one thing: This wasn't his timeline.

It was Dan's.

The day of the CAT's started and Danny could feel the chill that traveled down his back as the scene played out in front of him. This time, Danny saw himself - no, Dan - go through with cheating. He felt his breath leave him as the scene faded out to black after he gave the test to Lancer.

Once again he stood in front of the Nasty Burger. He heard the ding of the sauce warning of it's overheating. Within a fraction of a second, it happened. He had seen it before with Clockwork, but it's something that doesn't soften no matter how many times he saw it. He closes his eyes desperately wishing he had not witnessed it again.

His foster parents didn't really care about him. They only wanted him for the money provided from the government. That was abundantly clear. This only made Danny's heart shatter a bit more for Dan, no matter how much he wished it didn't. Danny's heart leaps at the sight of Dan shutting himself in his room, isolating the outside world.

The next scene he encountered was the day that the whole town had found out his secret. It was the worst way to be ousted. Dash had been nice the first few months after the accident, but he soon went back to his bullying ways. Danny saw the jock picking on Dan, the usual. However, when he spoke of Sam, Dan snapped.

He transformed, picked up Dash, and slammed him against the locker. There was a sound of bones cracking. His body recoiled then fell to the ground with a clatter that shattered the stillness through the halls. Warm crimson liquid spilled from his pale lips. Danny could see the moment Dan comes down from his adrenaline-filled high. The moment his mind came back to reality, Dan crouched low to try to offer some help to Dash, but the poor boy was unconscious. He turned around to see the entire student body's eyes trained on him. Their eyes were screaming one word.

Monster.

He was a monster. And Danny could feel the fear Dan felt; the hatred that accompanied being a monster in everyone's eyes was evident as well. It filled him to the brim and refused to leave. He was a worthless piece of trash, unworthy of anything but being a monster.

Everyone shunned him after that.

Dash was then confined to the hospital for three weeks for a concussion and several broken bones. Dan was soon suspended and kicked out of town. They put up a ghost shield to prevent him from entering.

Danny now stood invisible in front of Dan, who had been homeless for about a year at this point. He was curled up in an alleyway on the outskirts of town, his clothing torn and dirty with mud and other elements matted onto him. Danny could feel the toll that it took on Dan's sixteen year old body. This was one of Dan's weakest moments. Danny tried to swallow the guilt.

After blinking a few times, Danny now stood in front of Vlad's mansion, with both Dan and Vlad standing in front of a taxi that Danny assumed his evil self just got out of. Months flashed quickly before his eyes, but from what he saw of the short little shots through Dan's life with Vlad, Danny came to understand that there was no evil plot behind Vlad's actions. He had no evil motives as he took in the scared, hopeless boy, nor were there any evil plots on Dan's end either.

His eye snapped close and open in an instant. Dan was sitting on the lege of the mansion. Finally, that fateful night had arrived but even Danny hadn't been expecting it. It was dark and stormy all day.

June 6th.

Sam's birthday.

Tears filled Dan's eyes; he didn't care to wipe them away as he clutched the photo in his hand. Dan had been looking at a photo of the entire family on the highest point of Vlad's Mansion. He just looked at that photo for hours and then he didn't. He walked to the edge of the roof and well.

Danny had to look away after that.

Before he made any impact, Vlad phased through the walls of the building, catching him just in time. Dan was furious, saying that it wasn't Vlads choice to make. Danny could see his body shaking with so much pain, it almost unbearable. The pain that soiled his crystal blue eyes stung deep. Dan was tired of the pain. That was when Vlad took him down to the lab...

* * *

"And well, you know the rest…." Danny trailed off from his story.

He could feel Sam give his hand a light squeeze. He hadn't noticed the tears that started to flow through, nor the crack in his voice. Danielle lightly placed her head on his arm in comfort as well; her hair tickled him as it lightly brushed against his nose, but it didn't matter. His dad was now was holding his mom as she choked back her own sobs. Tucker was blankly looking at his hands that sat on the table in front of him. Valarie seemed to be mirroring his expression, except that she was staring straight at Danny, absorbing everything that they had just been told. The air tasted stale; confusion floated around them at what had been told.

Breaking eye contact, he focused on the hand that was intertwined with Sam's. That seemed to help even out his breathing. "I don't think Dan will ever be redeemable but I can't deny that he went through a lot of pain and suffering."

"So the question that we're still presented with is, how do we stop Dan?" All eyes snapped to Lilith, who hadn't made a sound the entire time. Everyone looked at each other in question, hoping for an answer.

"I still don't have my ghost powers back. Our portals are destroyed, thanks to Dan. We could always ask the ghosts to maybe fry me up again?" The scowl he received from his mom for using the word fry almost made him jump in his seat.

But before Maddie could object, Frostbite cut in. "As much as that would be a good idea Great One, I'm afraid that at this point it's near impossible."

Danny's eyebrows knitted together in confusion, his lips set in a deep grimace. "Why not. They've done it before. Besides what's a little pain among friends, or in this case enemies." Why he was only fulling his mother's worry and evident anger was beyond him.

The snow beast sighed. "There is something that you've been unaware of for a while child. With Dan's arrival and his ability to wield time, it has weakened the Ghost Zone, and the ghosts themselves." Frostbite could see the humans looking around the room in bewilderment.

Frostbite continued on. "Because he is not of this timeline, he is not connected to this time, so it's beginning to have an effect on the smallest things, including ghost energy."

Lilith spoke next. "I _have_ noticed it always starts to rain right before Dan appears. Clockwork always taught me that's a sign of nature wanting to balance things back out. You know, 'the butterfly effect.' That Mikey kid had _some_ things right. Also, that unnatural anxiety we've been feeling could be a contributor to it too."

"That doesn't make any sense," Danny said, shaking his head. "Lilith may not have time powers, but she's still not from this time. How is her being here not unstabilizing everything as well?" Getting up from his chair, he started to pace back and fro now as he was now too agitated to sit still.

Frostbite said,"My two theories are, first, while she's not supposed to be here yet, she's still apart of this timeline. My second idea is the time medallion she wears. It connects her to here until she leaves."

"But that's the thing. I'm not wearing it, Danielle took it." Lilith said, looking back to her sister. "I need it. If that's the only thing stabilizing me right now in this time, I have to keep it on."

"Wait," Tucker cut in. "Shouldn't you have been sent back to your time the moment it came off? That's what happened to Sam, Danny and I when we took it off the first time we dealt with Dan. Time sent us right back."

Lilith nodded. "Yeah, and I don't completely understand it myself yet, but I plan to get to the bottom of it. But I still don't want to run the chance of causing anything bad to happen while being without my medallion. Now Danielle, can I have it back now?" She reached out her hand, expecting her sister to swiftly drop it into her waiting hand.

Instead, a sheepish expression danced across her face, her hands retreating behind her back. Lilith's stomach dropped at the sight of her sister rocking on the balls of her feet, a sure telltale sign she was nervous. "Well, you see, sis, my most favorite sibling. The girl I can turn to no matt-"

"Cut it out, Danielle!"

"I sorta maybe, accidentally-not on purpose-maybe broke it?" She flinched in fear, bracing herself for the outburst from her sister. But it didn't come.

Lilith didn't even feel herself hit the floor.

* * *

Dan walked out of his hotel with a skip in his step and music in his head. He walked past a candy store for just a moment before walking back and strong-arming the store owner for all his raspberry licorice and a case of black cherry cream soda. Placing the sweets down for a moment, Dan undid his top two shirt buttons, revealing the top of his chiseled figure. Picking up the sweets once, more he strode to the Rusty Ghost Diner.

He had won. He had truly won this time.

Not a ray of sun shone through the heavy cloud-filled sky, and Dan basked in the gloomy mood that had set over the small town. Mist floated around the air, but it didn't make his clothing too damp. There was no wind, which made it warm enough despite the gloomy clouds.

After entering, he saw Izzy with her back to him. She was wearing her usual waitress attire: her black knee length skirt, with the matching apron tied tightly around her waist. Her soft charcoal hair was tied loosely in a side ponytail, the hair draping over her chest. She was so busy wiping a table down that she hadn't even noticed the bell that rung over the door when he had entered.

He sneaked up behind her, taking out a strand of licorice, and gently used it to whip her rear end. She jolted up from her spot over the table; dropping the cloth she was using to clean it in the process. "Hey A-hole, that's sexual harassment and I _will_ get Caleb out here and he will kick your..." She whirled around to see Dan with a huge grin on his face.

Her mood instantly changed, her golden eyes lighting up immediately with an unknown delight. Her lips stretched so far, Dan feared it would break her face. "Hey there stud, aren't you getting bold? What happened to the shy hipster who sat quietly reading his old man paper for the past week?"

It was true; for the entire past week, without pause, he'd enter the diner at 10 AM on the dot. He'd order his usual and leave a big fancy tip, as long as it was her who had been his waitress.

He knew he shouldn't be interested in her; it was dangerous. If she became his weakness, that made him vulnerable for things he had cast away long ago. But one look at her beautiful face and all his worries seemed to run away, no matter how hard he tried to keep a grasp on them. His worries reminded him just who he was.

To Izzy's complete shock, and secret excitement, Dan grabbed her by the waist, pulling her a few inches closer. "Let's just say I had a really good night a couple days ago." He felt the words effortlessly roll off his tongue. This new found confidence was something different, but he figured he'd run with it for the moment.

He saw jealousy run across her face briefly before she forced it away. "So, who was the lucky girl?" Her words were brittle as she grits them between her teeth. He had to choke down the laughter that threatened to bubble up.

He could hear the Vlad in him whispering in his ear, telling him how weak he was for feeling for Izzy.

 _Shut up Plusminus. I just annihilated that weak little Phantom. I can do whatever the hell I want. I'm in control here. If I want some personal time, I damn well deserve it. I can do whatever I want._

 _The question is, little badger, what do you want?_

He couldn't answer that question.

At first, he wanted his timeline back, which meant having to get rid of Danny. But that was quickly ripped away from him in shameless pride from Clockwork. Then, he figured if he couldn't do that, he could get rid of Danny, his family and then himself, then at least Danny could understand his pain and agony as he watched his family die; it would be the best revenge, to make Danny understand. And then Dan would take himself out of the equation, he wouldn't be in any more pain again. Dan had no one to love him anyway, no family, no one to tie him here. He would just be _gone_ and that would be the end of pain.

And then _she_ came along.

And he wasn't sure what he wanted. Lust? Compatibility? Just plain social reaction? He just didn't know. But what he did know, that as long as she was here, Danny Fenton could not exist. No one understood what a monster he could turn out to be.

What _he_ was.

There was something about the way she made him feel. A word that he just couldn't quite place yet. But it was there at the tip of his tongue and he couldn't force it out, no matter how hard he tried.

He could only smirk as he bluntly said, "No one yet, but I do know this girl who likes raspberry licorice and black cherry cream soda who is going on break soon." He gave a wiggle of his furry eyebrow.

She just rolled her golden eyes, placing her hands on his broad shoulders, scrunching his shirt in her palms. A smirk appeared on her own lips, teasing him with, "Nice try Romeo, but my break isn't for another hour and a half."

"First off, that play is trash, I prefer my love stories not ending in underage death. Second. I have this roll of fifty bills that say to your manager that your break just came early." He pulls out the top of a couple twenty dollar bills and one ten to show her that he did indeed have the money.

While she was sure that her boss would give her the rest of the day off, she couldn't help but tease him more. "So what you're saying is you do like love stories. Didn't picture you to be the type." Dan took his hand that was around her waist and pulls her into his chest, not leaving an inch between them. He could feel her heart start to pound rapidly against his chest, and he was almost scared to admit how much he liked it.

Looking into her shimmering eyes he said, "Well, I happen to be very partial to the tale of Beauty and the Beast."

Izzy giggled. "Down boy." Releasing her grip on him, she moved out of the embrace. Turning back around, she reached over to the table, quickly grasping the cloth, and stuffing it into the front pocket of her apron. "If you keep this up you're going to make Susan go into heat." Her eyes drifted to another waitress, indicating who was indeed staring directly at him with a clouded lustful gaze. This, in turn, made his stomach turn in an unpleasant way.

The woman didn't even look phased by getting caught; She only rose her eyebrows in a suggestive tone and went back to handing out food. Izzy gave him a playful wink as she pulled him towards the counter for her co-workers to see.

Izzy's boss was leaning against her arm, boredom clearly written across her face as she messed with a few buttons on the cash register. Seeing the two approach, she quickly stood to attention, always wanting to make sure she looked composed when Izzy's hunk of meat came around. Lucky woman. "What the heck is going on, Izzy? Why aren't you workin?"

Dan walked up casually to the counter and placed the roll of money by the register. "Her break just came early." No room for questioning was in his voice.

The bosses mouth hit the floor, her eyes stretched. _"Holy cow!_ You and lover boy can enjoy the rest of the day if you want. With pay!"

Dan smiled once more. "See, what did I tell you. Now let's give those tired feet of yours a rest for a while. How about I take you out for something to go with all this sugar?"

"I could go for some Chinese, how about you?"

The gleam in her eyes caused a reaction of the thing in his chest to leap, forcing him to take a deep breath to calm it. "Yeah, that sounds good. There's this place uptown with amazing tea. I think it's called the Jasmine Dragon."

How did she make it so easy to fall for her?

Don't let it happen.

Don't let it happen.

They took their time getting there, just strolling through the town as they made their way. There was a point where Izzy looped her arm through his and he had to ignore the sparks that spread through his arm when her skin brushed carefully against his. That thing in his chest started to skipped a couple beats, almost as if it wanted to be free of the cage it was bound in.

The greeter stood happily behind the counter with menus tucked into his left arm. "Hello, my name is Wang Huǒ. Welcome to the West Jasmine Dragon, home of the world's greatest tea passed down from an ancient family tea blend dating back to the Dìqiú Kingdome. Let me take you to your seats." He guided them to a secluded corner in the far back.

Her eyes swept the building. Low lights hung from the ceiling. Colors of beige, green, and brown were splashed all over the walls, giving such a warm feel to it. Large windows lined the walls, bringing in natural light which to the relaxing tone of the restaurant. A single painting of a large elderly man wearing green and gold robes hung on the wall at the end of their table. The mouthwatering smell of pasta wafted around the entire place, filling her nose."Wow, this place sure is authentic."

"Oh yeah, I used to come here when I was a kid. Did you know it's often better to have hot tea with your meal than a cold beverage?" This was a lie; he had stumbled across this place a few days ago. Knowing he wanted to take Izzy, he decided to learn all that he could about the food, a secret part of him hoping it'd impress her.

Somehow it seemed to work as the smile never left her mouth. "Why is that, Mr. Know-It-All?"

Don't fall.

Don't fall.

Too late.

Playing along with her flirtatious teasing - _when did I become so comfortable as to flirt? This girl is doing too much to me at once_ \- he said,"Well, you see, most of the Chinese food is cooked in oil and the hot tea breaks down the oil a lot faster than a cold beverage would. That way your stomach stays settled."

Her spine stiffened in surprise, a half smile lit up her face. "Wow, aren't you the king of small talk." She poked his arm in fun, sending shivers up his arm and down his spine once more. Did she realize the effect she had on him? Answer: probably not.

Resisting the urge to take her hand into his, he instead said, "Hey, I'm just saying, that way you can eat as much as you want without feeling it, but if you want to get full faster you go right ahead."

She bit her lip, her eyes filling with excitement and a slight challenge covered her gaze. "Yeah screw that noise. I haven't had Chinese food in years, you bet your ass I'm filling up."

"Go for it, but if you think you can take me on as far as dishes here, you are wrong." Their waiter arrived just as he finishes his sentence. They put in their order and the waiter dashed off to place it.

His words only further fueled the ignited fire in Izzy's eyes. She took a slow sip of her tea, not breaking eye contact. "Bring it on, muscles."

Twenty minutes passed and their food arrived. They dug in, hardly taking a breath to enjoy the taste.

The table in front of the two was filled to the edge with dishes all empty. She won by a mile, scarfing down the food as if it would be her last meal. With all of the food gone and his stomach filled to the brim, he could feel a belch starting to bubble on the surface. Dan covered his mouth as soon as the sound broke through his attempts at pushing it down.

He could feel the embarrassment start to rise in cheeks as Izzy's eyes settled on him. What he hadn't expected was for Izzy to lightly punch her own stomach, releasing a louder belch that echoed throughout the tiny space.

An uncomfortable silence filled the room for a solid second followed by the both of them breaking out in uncontrollable laughter. Her fist thumped the wooden table repeatedly as Izzy tried her best to catch her breath. "Gosh, we're disgusting." He could only nod in agreement.

"Come on, let me pay for the bill and walk you home." She looked out the window to see that night had indeed fallen over Amity. Time always seemed to do that with him, just fly by.

She wasn't used to it. That instant connection she felt with him, as if she knew him for a long time. Looking into his crystal blue eyes, she could read everything on his mind. She could see the depths of his soul and the pain and anguish that he had suffered but wouldn't speak of.

Giving in, and maybe feeding his ego a bit, she sighed. "Fine but I got the tip. I'm not gonna let Macho Man pay for everything." She turned around to grab her coat off the chair.

Before she even realized what he was doing, he took the coat, opening it up for her. She gave him a smile of thanks as he said, "Oh so you think I'm Macho, do you?"

Grabbing her purse, she made her way towards the exit. "Calm down Muscles, I can still kick your ass if I want."

He had no doubt about that. Even with all the ghost powers in the world, he was pretty sure if she asked for an ecto-gun to shoot him with, he'd gladly hand one over, and he knew he'd be smiling all the while as she pulled the trigger. And that quite honestly scared him

Beating her to the door, he pushed it open for her. "Yes, ma'am!"

That unknown word surfaced again, setting him on edge with not being able to know what it was.

Why did he have to fall in love?

* * *

The walk to her studio apartment was short and comfortable in silence. The cool night wind whipped at their hand somehow found its way to his, interlocking their fingers. How they were always touching in some form, he'd never understand. How could a girl like her want to even touch him? But he banished the thoughts as he started to enjoy the shivers her touch brought.

Dan and Izzy made it to the top of the stoop of her apartment. "Well my dashing gentlemen, we have arrived." Putting the key into the lock, Izzy opened the door to her apartment and looked back at him.

Awkward air swirled around them as they stood face to face. He was not sure what to do. He wasn't supposed to be feeling this kind of thing. He wasn't supposed to be falling in love with this girl. But it was too late. Too late. His breathing was becoming more difficult by the moment as their eyes locked together. Was he supposed to make the first move? He didn't know a thing about the opposite sex.

Thankfully, she was the one to step closer. The only space between them now was the small space between their mouths. She lightly placed her hand on his chest, right on his heart. Now it was pounding rapidly against her palm, and never in his entire years of being a full ghost, had he been happy with the recent changes to his body.

As the electricity ran down his entire body from one little touch, he realized that he never craved to feel so human before this very moment. As his breath came in heavy short successions, his head felt light. His eyes seemed to glaze over; all he feel, see, and hear, was Izzy. Everything else seemed to blur away.

Was this what it felt like to feel human once more?

Was the electricity that she caused to run down his entire spine normal?

If so, what sorcery did she possess that made his heart start to pound in his ears, making his whole body vibrate wit-with this sort of life?

Could she maybe control whatever power she wielded so he can go back to being his normal evil ways?

 _Oh, little badger, you want her, don't you?_

He didn't know what possessed him. Dan leaned down and crushed his lips to hers, giving Izzy the most passionate kiss of his life. Her breath hitched as he claimed her mouth with his own over and over again. His hands were lightly on her hips.

He never knew feeling human could be so good. Dan hated to admit that he didn't want it to leave.

Breaking the heated kiss, he avoided Izzy's gaze, afraid what be might be seen. She could tell he was about to hightail it out, so catching her breath once again, Izzy grabbed his wrist before he's able to take another step. "Yeah, I don't think so." Her voice light and husky; it sounded like sweet, soft music to his ears.

He knew the word now.

Alive.

She made him feel alive.

He had never been more thankful for the beating thing in his chest.

She then moved her grip to his shirt and pulled him into her apartment, the door slamming closed behind them.

* * *

 _"You what!?_

Everyone in the room put at least five feet of distance between themselves and Lilith. She had her mom's temper, add that with ghost powers, and the anger that rolled off of the young teen flooded the room, it was absolutely terrifying.

"Let me get this straight. You took my medallion, without my permission might I add, and broke it!?" Her chest started to heave as her eyes flared up in anger. She was shaking with it.

All Danielle could do was nod in response; she was too scared to speak. She took the remaining pieces of the artifact in a bag, handing it off to Lilith. Peaking in the plastic container, Danielle could see her heart drop down to her stomach.

The halfa who now held the scrambled leftovers of what gave her the ability to time travel, that was her only transportation home. She was stuck here now. Alone. With no one to really help.

"Clockwork!" She screamed into the air. "Send me back!" Danielle could see her sister's resolve had started to break. The hitch of her breath only came in a few seconds. Tears clouded her eyes. Her knees seemed to give out as she fell to the floor, clutching her knees to her chest.

The whole room stood still as they saw Lilith break down in front of them. Danielle could feel the guilt eat at her, seeing her usually calm and collected sister looking so hopeless. The situation was finally settling over everyone.

Lilith had no way to travel home.

Her dad no way of getting his ghost half back.

They had no portal, nor home.

They had no chance at winning against Dan.

They were up the stream without a paddle.

* * *

 **Shoutout to** beta **reader, silente faery, you helped a lot with this! Thank you! Please review!**


	17. Chapter 16

**Ch. 16. I really hope you enjoy! If you like it,could you, maybe please, drop a review? I'd really appreciate it,and it really brings me happiness and inspiration for the story. Thank you! I do not own Danny Phantom, Nickelodeon does.**

* * *

Rain gently tapped on the window as Izzy woke up form her deep and soothing slumber. The thin sheets felt soft and cool as they loosely wrapped around her body. It had been very hot recently but this rain was cool and refreshing, leaving the air with a certain crispness that was a relief against her heated skin. No sun seemed to beat through her windows, due to the clouds that had formed at the brisk of dawn. As she began to stir more in her bed, she could smell something hot and pleasant coming from the kitchen. However, the savory sent didn't last long, and soon turned into a smokey one.

"Oh crap! Fire!"

Throwing the covers carelessly off of her, Izzy jumped out of bed and sped to the small kitchen to see a medium flame raise from one of the burners as Dan searched frantically for the baking soda. He found it just as the flames hit the fan above the stove. After pouring it on the fire, a cloud of white smoke emitted from the burner as the flames were extinguished.

"You are _really_ lucky my poor ass doesn't own a fire alarm."

At the sound of her voice, Dan spun around in a rapid fashion punching the air in front of him, throwing off his balance and landing him face first on the ground. Stifling her laughter, Izzy moved a few inches forward to make sure he was still conscious. He groaned in pain and moved to gain his balance to get back up.

As he got up he felt something warm trickle down from his upper lip."I'm okay," he reassured her as he dizzily stumbled back to the stove. She considered rushing to the medicine cabinet but thought better of it as he continued his task at hand. He seemed to be able to shake off the fall pretty easy, which only made her shrug her shoulders.

With no more danger in sight, Izzy looked him up and down as he faced away from her on the stove. He wasn't just lean, he was built. There he was in her kitchen, shirtless, ripped, and trying his hardest to make her breakfast. He turned around to place his pan on the kitchen island. She couldn't help the smile that formed on her lips as the scene played out in front of her.

To be honest, she didn't expect this. Most guys were gone by morning, and Dan didn't seem to be any different. While he seemed to be a great guy, she didn't really know him, not deeply at least. But as she studied him from across the room, maybe she wanted to get to know him. All of him, even the pain that she could see that was buried deep within the soul of his eyes. After all, her momma always did say to never judge a book by its cover.

She decided to break the silence once more. "Hey Koala-Ass, what's in the pan?" Her voice was light and playful.

He looked up and was about to tell her when she saw the trail of blood running down from his nose. "Oh my gosh, you're, bleeding!" She could feel the panic rush through her entire body, clouding her ability to think clearly. All she could feel, see, taste, and comprehend was blood. Everything else seemed to blur.

Blood.

Crash.

Screaming.

Smoke.

Gone.

Breathing becomes harder by the tick of the clock. No matter how hard she tried to grasp the air around her, it was near impossible. Her mind was racing beyond her control. In her panic filled gazer, she flinched as a pair of hands lightly lay on her shoulders. She couldn't make out the face in front of her, but she knew it was just Dan.

"Deep breaths. In through your nose." She did as she was told and her vision started to return to normal The deep gravelly pitch of his voice seemed to ground her. "Now out through your mouth." She copied the movements of his lips almost perfectly, and she could feel the air calm once more. The pounding in her chest started to slow and relax into its normal rhythm. He kept his touch on her, lightly brushing his fingers along on her arms, almost as if he knew it'd calm her.

The only response she received was a cocky smirk that played on his lips. "Well, I know you left some marks last night but I didn't think I made you so breathless." She considered smacking him across the face, in fun, but her stomach decided the food was more important, so for the time being she rolled her tired eyes at the smug guy.

Her face was on fire as it turned beet red. "Oh, shush can you clean that up. Please." Dan did as asked and dabbed his nose when he noticed something he hadn't before."Dan... Why are you looking at me like that?"

His face heated up. "You um... ran out here without your robe."

She looked down to confirm what he had said. Immediately the fun, playful atmosphere resumed around them and she sighed in relief, thankful for it. He didn't bring up the sudden panic attack and she was once again grateful. It seemed he knew when to drop a subject. It was hard talking about that night. "Where's your shirt AssHat?"

"Where the hell you threw it?" He offered in question.

She stormed off, arms crossed. As she walked away, Dan noticed a large sunflower tattoo that took up most of her upper back. The yellow petals covered her entire shoulders, from one side to the other. The stem followed the entirety of her spine. "When did you get that sunflower?"

She called back from her bedroom, "Oh, so you look at things other than my ass?"

"Look who's talking."

Her voice carried as she explained, "Well, I got it my first year of college. Pissed off a good chunk of financial aid to get it but hey, no matter how broke I get it's the one thing I can't lose."

"Didn't that hurt though?"

"You think I'm some wuss? Because if you need another lesson on how tough I can be I will gladly teach you a thing or two."

"How about you let my wounds heal a little first before you try taking me down again."

"Try?" She questioned, a clear invitation in her voice as he heard her shuffling about in her room, looking for the clothing item.

She walked out, Dan's shirt flowing down on her figure. His eyes landed on her once more and the only word she could describe the emotion that flashed in his crystal blue eyes were made her stomach flutter was: hunger. "That definitely fits you better than it ever did on me."

She smiled in victory at his reaction. "What's a matter? Never had a girl wear one your shirts before?"

His answer surprised her. "Never wanted one to before you." Her face heated up once more in the span of an hour. How did this guy do this to her? Why did she feel so connected?

The playfulness between them was so easy, almost natural like. "Will you stop with that mushy crap. For someone so sturdily built you're really soft deep down." She took a seat at her kitchen table where he brought over the plates, silverware and orange juice and milk from the fridge. He moved around the apartment so casually and without thought, as if he knew where everything was.

 _Yes little badger, look at all you're doing for one little girl. Are you sure you're not turning back into him? I mean, look at this loverboy, you made her breakfast. When did you even learn to cook? You calmed her from a panic attack! You're supposed to strike panic into others, not calm them from it. But one look into her golden eyes and you melt like the weak little boy that you tried to bury all those years ago. You're weak, she makes you weak. Is it because this little waitress reminds you of her?_

 _Shut up Plasmius. You don't know anything._

Izzy could feel the contentment wash over as she asked, "Now, what exactly have you made for breakfast?"

The nervousness that seeped into his voice and eyes made her heart flutter with time in rhythm to her stomach. "Well, we have eggs, bacon, pancakes with real maple syrup, orange juice, and milk."

Her eyes widened at all the food he carried over and set promptly in front of her. If he could cook like this, maybe she didn't need to work at a diner; she could open one of her own. "Wow..."

Scratching the back of his neck - which Izzy couldn't help but find cute - he said, "Yeah, I might have overdone it."

She swiftly shook her head. "No, I was going to say that if you didn't make a smiley face out of my food I'm stealing your pants too." There it was again, the racing of his heart as she gave a lighthearted smile directly at him.

"Don't threaten me with a good time." He teased playfully.

 _See Dan? This could be your life. She could be the one person that just gets you if you'd open up to her._

And for the first time in years, Dan couldn't find a good enough reason to disagree.

* * *

The air is cold and sharp to her lungs. Each breath brought an almost unbearable pain, but still, she did not suffocate. Her vision was blurred, almost blinding her to the world around her. She ran as fast as possible, making sure to stay low. She did not know why but she just knew flying was not a good idea. Every inch of her was in constant pain, but no more so than her lungs. Her arms were heavy as if something on them was weighing her down. Her legs begged her to slow down and take a break. Finally, her vision slowly returned. She was surrounded by a field of purple grass; looking up she saw a dark green sky.

The thudding in her ears slowly stopped it's fast pace. The air finally didn't feel like a sharp stab to the lungs; she gulped of air tasting like a breath of freedom. She was no longer a prisoner. She was finally strong enough to break free of her the prison that held her for so long.

"I'm free!" She screamed to the heavens. Although it was not her voice that says it. The voice was familiar and sent shivers down her spine, shocking her to her core. _"I am finally free!"_

There seemed to be some sort of glass wall in front of her. She raised one of her blue callused, hands and easily shattered the wall without even emitting a plasma blast. She stumbled and fell, catching herself on a piece of glass. Ectoplasm ran down her hands with one of the shards embedded in them. She raised her hands to see the reflection within. Looking back at her was a bearded, bruised, and almost skeleton like Vlad Plasmius.

Danielle woke up clutching her sheets, drenched in utter fear. She could hear her dad cry out in pain from the other side of the room. Running to him Danielle asked her mom what was happening but she didn't have an answer. Her head went back and forth between Danielle and her dad. Fear crept into her eyes as she stood helplessly by the side. Green light surrounded her dad as he screamed and thrashed in pain.

"Why is this happening to us!" Danielle screamed in anger, clutching her hands to her head as her mind raced to try to something to find an answer as to what was going on with her dad.

Footsteps could be heard as Lilith entered the room. Lilith rubbed at her eyes, trying to rid the sleep from them. The noise obviously just woke her from a deep sleep. "What on Earth is going on?"

She wasted no time yelling to her sister, "Dad's being attacked by something!"

That seems to shake the rest of the sleep from her. "Is it Dan?" The question seemed to be more to herself, knowing that the evil ghost would have to be somewhere in plain sight for him to cause this much pain to their dad.

She just shook her head rapidly. "I don't know, I can't see anyone!" She did a double take around the room, but there was not another ghost in sight, nor could she sense one.

Lilith strode over to her dad, feeling the energy of whatever was taking over her dad engulf the small bedroom. "This energy, it doesn't feel natural, even for ecto plasma!"

"Where's it coming from?" Sam asked as she paced the room, reading her books about ectoplasm she had taken from the library, hoping for an answer within the pages. "Maybe there was something we don't know about it?"

Fear rattled and gripped everyone. Everyone was drained, and it was starting to show.

Danielle's eyes never left her dad's convulsing body. "I don't know but he doesn't have his powers. If this goes on much longer he'll die for real!" She felt useless as she watched her dad wither in pain. This had to be a nightmare, it had to be. She was tired of this being her daily life: her loved ones getting attacked.

Suddenly a voice invaded Danielle's mind. "Don't worry, my dear Danelle. I will not kill the boy. Now is not the time nor place for such things. No, am merely testing the water, dipping my toe into a vast ocean I intend to drown you all in. But for now... SLEEP, MY CHILD!"

Danielle soon fell to the ground but before she slipped back into the realm of sleep she uttered one word. "Perseus."

The light around Danny lifted into the air and shot out of the room, flying far beyond sight.

* * *

"Vlad!" Danielle jolted up out of her sleep. She began to pant in her cold sweat as hands were placed on both of her shoulders. Danielle could feel the shaking of her body as reality started to form around her once again. She looked to her side to see her dad on her right and her mom on her left. Lilith was snoring lightly next to her once more. That girl could sleep through almost anything.

"It's okay sweetie, we're here for you. Just try not to hug your dad too hard, seeing as all the crap that keeps happening to him." Her mom whispers quietly. Danielle did as told, only cuddling against him lightly as not to jostle him too much.

"What happened? Your mom said you had some sort of fainting episode while that strange energy was around me." She could see the worry clearly written across her dad's face.

"I saw Vlad. It was so real yet so strange. When that thing was around you I heard him speak to me. He told me what was happening wasn't even close to what's to come."

"Wherever he is, I'm sure he can't harm us. That fruitloop is long gone."

"I'm not sure, I mean after all Dan showed up after all this time."

Their eyes fixate on Lilith, hoping for answer, but finding that she was truly asleep, decided they would ask her in the morning.

"Whatever happens, happens. But for now, sweetheart let's just focus on the task at hand." They both brushed her hair back, placing a kiss on her temple. They knew it'd calm her, it always did.

"It just felt so real. The way he looked, he looked as though he was half dead, but his eyes, his eyes were demented." Her entire body shuddered at remembering his cold, dirty, seething crackle of a voice. It held no life, and Danielle was sure it was empty as the vast space he was sent off to.

"I promise you that no matter what happens you have your family to protect you. Not that you need it. Now I think it's best if we get some sleep. How about you come into our bed and we'll cuddle away the nightmares." Her dad suggested. Because yeah, she was sixteen, but sometimes, she just needed her parents.

Lilith listened as her parents guarded her sister, their footsteps disappearing as they brought her back to their room. They sounded so peaceful in such a horrible situation. She had never realized just how hard her parent's life had been. By the time she was born most of the major threats had been taken care of and the worst thing that affected people was... well people. But this, this was something different. Most ghosts wanted grand things like power or status. This Dan was different, he didn't want the world, he had already had it. He wanted them to suffer, and right now he was getting exactly that.

She was finally convinced that he was just as heartless as they all said. It didn't matter what dad had seen in that vision, whatever it was. He was a monster inside and out. Sleep eluded her as she was now stuck in this time. No way to get home. Knowing everyone was back asleep, Lilith got out of her bed as quietly as possible and walked to the nightstand. Lying on the table was the broken time medallion.

There was something strange about it, it was like it was calling to Lilith, as if something deep inside her was calling out begging for attention. The air filled with an ancient song that got louder and louder the closer she got to the broken remains of the necklace. She reached her hands over the table, directly above the pieces. Her hands began to glow a faint gold that lit up the table in the dark room. She let out a faint gasp in her surprise as the medallion began to form together as if time itself was reversing itself on the item.

The pieces sealed together as her amethyst eyes turned bright gold, whipping away her pupils as she saw beautiful haunting images from the beginning of man to their expansion to the stars. All that ever was or ever will be came and went in her mind in mere moments, the weight of which should have made her want to scream from being overloaded, but for some reason it just felt to her as if this was always meant to be.

The music that sang to her was the most beautiful thing she had ever heard, like a mother instinctively singing to her firstborn. A hand grabbed her own and she turned around to see a young man with pale skin, silver hair, and stunning amethyst eyes that glow with the intensity of the stars themselves. The young man pulled her over to the bed where Danny, Sam, and Danielle we sleeping. He put a hand over Danny's head and signaled for Lilith to do the same. Placing her hand over Danny, golden light began to dance around him then weaving in and out of his body until Danny himself glowed bright gold.

The young man looked at Lilith and with a voice that sang with the cosmic song in her ears said: "Ours is the Name that will never end, we are the protectors of time, humanity, and justice. We begin with him and we begin with you. Without the two of you, we are forever lost."

Lilith can feel something begin to stir in her, something bubbling deep in the pit of her can't place it. Asense of ease washed over her. Something just felt…unlocked. Free. She felt free within her own mind and body.

And she didn't even know what she had been freed from.

His hand left Lilith's as he returned to where he came from, taking the beautiful music with him. He moved swiftly, towards her parents room. His steps almost never touched the floor, it looked like he was walking softly on the wind. It was so memorizing. Looking down at the bed she could see her father's fingers twitch. His hair faded from black to snow white. A wisp of frozen air left his mouth as he jolted wide awake, his glowing green eyes staring right into Lilith's amethyst ones.

 _What the hell is going on!?_

* * *

"Mind if take a quick shower?" She looked up from the food on her plate, fork mid stab at her pancake, giving him a fleeting smile. "Sure. Last door on the right."

Taking her directions, he leapt for the bathroom, losing his pants along the way. The moment he entered the bathroom, shutting the door swiftly behind him, and the the voices start to fire up in the chambers of his mind.

 _So. Let me guess. You're giving up on your plans now?!_

 _Shut up, Plasmius! The plan hasn't changed. I will get rid of the Phantom brat…..But maybe I can hang out a bit after with Izzy._

 _You're so weak. She won't want you in the end. All you are to her is a one time thing. She'll leave you on the curb like all woman do._

 _You don't know anything._

Blocking out the heated voice, Dan shuffled forward a few inches to turn the water on. The water sprouted out from the overhead, immediately glossing the mirror from across with a fine sheet of steam. Stepping into the the tub, he rolled his neck as let each rapid drop of water pound away the nots that had formed over the years. It was reloving to say the least.

That, however, was when the thoughts came crawling in. Who was she really? Could she be trusted? Why did he feel such a strong connection with her after only knowing her for a handful of weeks? He didn't want to fall in love, and while a part of him admitted maybe it was. He didn't have to like it. Love of course was weakness, and he couldn't afford that.

He wanted to it call it lust. It would have made the situation _so much easier._ But something was clawing at the back of his mind, telling him that it wasn't just lust. How could they even work together. She's a normal human that hasn't ever been in his world. Would she accept all the dark deeds he had done, even though he technically haven't happened?

Now he didn't know what he wanted exactly. Something told him he wanted _her_ , but he also knew that as long as Danny Phantom drew breath, she would be in danger. Nobody knew just how powerful and dangerous he could become.

Ever since stepping into this timeline, he had learned one thing. His timeline could be erased, but not the memories that went with it, no those stayed tightly locked in his head. He had to make his mind up. As much as he didn't want to, he couldn't step away from her. Whatever pull he was receiving would not allow it.

With a sigh, he realized that the water was now turning to cold, turning it off, he stepped out of the shower, wrapping his waist in a fluffy white towel that was laid one a nearby bar.

 _Maybe it would be nice to have something actually worth fighting for here._ He had gone so long without any family ties, something that he was willing to admit that he missed dearly. He missed the feeling of love. Ever since _they_ …. Left him, a hole in his heart had been growing every day. It was stupid, but he couldn't ignore it. Sometimes a boy just needed his family.

Maybe, just maybe, he could let Izzy be just that.

* * *

 **So. What the heck happened to Lilith,what did she do? Does Danny really have his powers back? And what happened to Danielle. We shall find out! Please let me know your guys thoughts :D**

 **Shout Out to the fabulous beta reader, silente faery!**

 **Edited: 6-12-18**


	18. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17! Woot woot! Anyway, I really love the interaction between Danielle and Lilith in this chapter, so many family feels :,) I think I should let you guys know, I won't be posting until next Friday because my nephew is coming to town on Thursday for a week and I really wanna spend some time with him. But everything should resume to normal on that Friday. Thanks for understanding, I'll let you guys go now! See ya! I do not own Danny Phantom, Nickelodeon does.**

* * *

"How's your ice cream sweetie?"

The little girl sat in the back driver's side seat of her mother's 93 Oldsmobile. It was her favorite spot in the car, she wasn't sure why but it just was. The day was hot; little beads of sweat started to form on her forehead. However, as she ate her favorite flavor of ice cream, 'Bubble Gum Sunrise', she could feel a sweet chill start to spread throughout her tiny body. The soft melody coming from the car radio reached her ears as they zoomed down the road.

Her mom's chocolate brown eyes reflected in the mirror of the car to gain the young child's attention. "Your dad might still be asleep when we get back. Now, remember sweetie you have to take mommy's gift and put it all the way under your bed so Dad can't find it."

The toddler's golden eyes locked on to that of her mom's. "Mommy, what's in the letter?" A smile lifted onto her mom's eyes.

"You will find out when daddy does, okay sweetie? Now how about we get something in you other than sugar okay? Oh, a how about a nice bur..."

The world blurred for what felt like an eternity in an instant. The ice cream had flown out the shattered window as she was suspended upside down by her car seat. The tires screamed against the pavement of the road, drowning out the beautiful music coming from the radio. A sharp pain came from her tummy as little drops of red trickled up her face.

When she opened her eyes, all she could see was shards of broken glass littered on the ground. She could hear the crackle of fire somewhere in the distance. Her mom was lumped against her left shoulder, with her eyes closed and blood dribbling from a wound on her head. Fear stirred in the girl, clouding her little mind to anything else.

"Mommy, it hurts." Her tiny body started to tremble in waves.

She was only met with the continuing of the crackle of the fire.

"Mommy please, it hurts!" Her small voice shattered the silence, carrying through the small cab. Looking down at her stomach she saw a metal rail coming from it. She followed the rail to see that it was protruding from the seat in front of her. Her head started to rapidly spin, clouding her vision. She could feel herself start to lose consciousness.

 _"Mommy!"_ The girl yelled, trying once more in hopes to gain her mom's attention, but she remained slouched against her shoulder; there was no response from her mother nor would there be again. Tears started to streak her cheeks from the pain coming from her stomach.

Soon the pain became too much to bear and she slipped into a quiet sleep. The crash was a couple miles outside of town; there wasn't a house to be seen and the other person involved in the crash fled the site.

Dan stood in front of what remained of the red car. Pieces of metal and everyday objects lay scattered about, saturated in oil and blood. The hood of the car had caught on fire, but thankfully had yet to spread. When he walked to the back seat on the driver's side he saw the little girl, dangling upside from her seat, her car seat keeping her strapped in. She was unconscious.

He noticed the metal rod that was in her stomach came from the front of the car and through the driver's seat. Her face was spattered with dark red. Her inky black hair was caked with blood, sweat, and dirt. From where it was on her head Dan could tell not all of it was hers.

He reached inside, grabbing her as carefully as he could; he made her intangible as to safely remove her from both the vehicle and the rod piercing her abdomen. Once free, Dan put pressure on the wound but he knew the paramedics would not come in time. "Please work."

Placing the young girl on the ground, he bent down and grabbed a sharp piece of broken glass. He used it to cut his hand open, releasing the liquid inside. He knelt by the girl and placed his cut hand on her wound. She began to squirm in pain but soon she stood still once more, breathing lightly. Dan then turned invisible, hiding away from view. He waited for about a half hour until finally, the paramedics arrived. He listened in to make sure all went well.

One paramedic quickly scanned his surroundings looking for an immediate danger. Having found none except the rolled over in the ditch. However, before he's able to make his way over, his eyes land on the toddler laying limp in the middle of the road. He rushed forward, tilted the girl's head to check her pulse. "Oh, no."

At his gasp, the other EMT came dashing forward out of the ambulance. "What are her vitals, Mark?"

The guy Mark, Dan now assumed, starts putting pressure on a wound he finds on her stomach. "She's still breathing, her pulse is slower than it should be, but it seems to be stable at least. I'm putting pressure on a wound. That's not it though, man. This is Izzy, you know, Geoff's little girl."

The unknown paramedic gave a click of his tongue and shook his head. "Do you see anyone else?"

Mark gives a shake of his head. "No this, but there is a car in the ditch, I got Izzy, you go take care of her mom."

Dan had seen enough. He was about to return when he saw a decorated envelope on the ground. Curiosity got the better of him so he opened it. Inside was a lot of paperwork but he gathered all he needed from the first page, which was sadly covered in the same sticky substance as both the car and Izzy. The page read: Dear Mrs. Campbell, we are proud to inform you that your application for adoption has been accepted. Further paperwork is needed before finalization but we know that baby…

The rest of the letter was unreadable. But it made Dan wonder who the girl was in the letter.

* * *

" _Valerie!_ Come over here, we have to come up with a plan." Danny had been reacquainting himself with his powers, making sure he wasn't ill-prepared for what was about to come. Valerie pocketed her phone as she made her way over to the rest of the group.

"What's going on?" She said, her voice weary. They didn't need another thing to go wrong. Hope hadn't been a constant thing for the team lately and it had truly started to its toll on everyone. Danielle stuck closely to her parents, reluctant to leave their side. Jack and Maddie were becoming fidgety and almost restless.

Jazz would lock herself away in Frostbite's library, the only way she truly knew how to cope. Surrounding herself with books upon books allowed her to drift from not being able to do anything about the situation. Having to be on the sidelines troubled the twenty-year-old, it always had.

Tucker, the techno-geek, the one person who in the group who always had his nose scrunched in his PDA, wouldn't touch the piece of technology. Instead, his eyes never left Danielle. His eyes would always sweep the room for a while, his ecto gun readied by his side in the instance that he would have to use it.

Valarie knew what he was doing: he was waiting for the moment he had to protect Danielle.

' _If there's one thing I know for certain Danny, your daughter picked right when she picked Tucker. He'd go to the ends of the earth for her.'_

Danny's voice suddenly broke through her train of thought. "We're meeting with Frostbite. We gotta come up with a plan to get rid of Dan. Now come on." He waved his hand for her to follow. The thick ice from the ground crunched under his heavy footsteps.

She did as instructed, and followed the halfa into the meeting room where everyone was gathered. Everyone's spirits seemed lifted to a degree. Sleep didn't shadow their eyes anymore, and the bags that lined everyone's eyes lifted from their skin from a good night's sleep. The weight still bared on their shoulders, but having Danny back, and him getting his powers back by some unknown miracle, had brought some hope back to everyone, easing their minds just a bit. They figured not to question how he gained his powers back, but decided rather to just be grateful.

"Alright everyone, listen up!" Everyone's eyes snapped to meet his. "It's time we put a stop to Dan's rampage. He has caused too much harm not just to this family, but for the world as a whole. Lilith, we're going to have to use your future Fenton thermos if we have any chance at keeping him contained." A faint buzzing noise could be heard from Valerie.

She took the phone, putting it on silence. "Sorry, just a telemarketer."

Danny shrugged. "It's okay. In fact, I wanted to talk to you. Although we all have been hurt by Dan in one way or another, we feel that you have the best chance of surveillance. He can easily sense anything ectoplasmic around him and with the technology, at your disposal, we figured the risk on your part would be minimal. Are you willing to do it?"

Valarie nodded. "Yes. I just need time to prepare."

Danny offered a small smile to the huntress. "Good. As soon as we get to know what he is up to we can proceed from there." Valerie, along with the rest took their leave to their room to go back to their quarters.

However, before Lilith could make her exit, Danielle gripped her arm, stopping her in her steps. "Hey sis, do you think we could go get some fresh air? I-I really need someone to talk to." Giving her older sister a quick nod, they followed suit.

* * *

They soon found an isolated cliff that ran off to the unknown expanses of the Ghost Zone. Sitting on the edge, both sisters let their feet dangle. An airy silence of peaceful inclosed around them, nothing complex, but Lilith could see the far off distance stare in Danielle's eyes. She clearly saw Danielle's worry build in her mind.

Scooching closer to Danielle, Lilith playfully bumped her shoulder against her sister's, hoping to ease the girl's mind. Danielle's head turned slightly to the side to give Lilith a glance. She tried to muster her best smile, but it fell short. Her attention returned to the green and black intertwined spirals of the Zone. The silence eventually became deafening, but still, it remained. Lilith was too worried to break it, for fear of what her sister might say or do.

"He's coming back."

Danielle's words shattered the stillness around them. It was neither a question nor an answer. It was defeat. The bitterness laced with the tone was evident enough. Lilith tried her best to gulp the lump building in her throat. Biting her lips, she kept her eyes locked onto the side of Danielle's face; that was something that had always been a massive difference between them that she found out since she came to this time. Lilith understood that they couldn't shy away from the tough situations that they often found themselves in. Her sister, however, while she didn't run away from danger, still shied away from things. It was honestly a big role reversal from the future, as usually, she was the more immature of the two sisters, not Danielle.

Searching her sister's gaze, she found nothing. Danielle's gaze was utterly hallow, and that only made Lilith's heart ache more for her. Taking a deep breath, she did her best to keep her composure.

"Not for a few years, Dani."

They went back to their stillness, with the gears in Danielle's mind spinning out of control. Any ease in her head was easily ripped away. She started to kick her feet mindlessly in the air back and forth. Lilith could feel the agitation in her sister's movements as she interlocked her thumbs together, circling one around the other in a nervous twitch.

And then she just stopped. Her body stilled. Nothing seemed to touch them, not the cold that resided in The Far Frozen, not the small breeze that would occasionally whip by, not even the warmth that traveled upward from the abyss below their very feet.

And then Danielle's stare fixed on her own, and Lilith was taken aback at what she found in the depths of her sister's crystal blue eyes.

Sparks. Sparks that, undoubtedly ignited a flame, that started to spread and continue to grow to become a burning fire that lit up and solidified in her eyes and pulls at the very being of her soul. It was almost intimidating.

"I know he's gonna be back someday." The strength of Danielle's voice was something that hadn't graced Lilith's ears since leaving the forty-year-old woman in the future, it truly astounded her. It reminded her of home; which tugged at her heartstrings. "It's always been there, th-the knowing that he would come back. But I guess I pushed it off, pretending it would be decades. That's the thing though." Her voice caught and she had to swallow the nerves. "I think, maybe, it's time I grow up."

The younger halfa was at a loss at that. The wisdom that seeped onto her face reminded her so forcefully of her Danielle, making her long for the woman's warm embrace and hot chocolate, and Christmas cookies.

And popcorn fights.

Wait, Danielle didn't do popcorn fights.

Shaking the thoughts quickly away, she brightly beamed at her sister. As the shock slowly wore off, she quietly whispered, "I think you're on your way to being the Danielle that I know." This time as she offered her sister a smile, Danielle happily reflected it.

"Does it scare you?" Lilith whispered. "The visions, I mean."

The whole world shifted in Danielle's eyes. Lilith saw how understanding came crashing through, flooding Danielle's mind. For a few moments, her lips trembled, as if she couldn't form the words. She saw the sharp intake of breath Danielle took in and exhaled "That's what those were?"

Lilith directed her eyes back to her boots. "I forget sometimes that you didn't always have that power."

Danielle brought her legs to her chest, wrapping her arms around them.

Lilith continued. "Sorry, I know its a lot, but yeah. It's a ghost power. I'm just so used to you having the power, ever since I could remember." Tapping her forehead against her sister's, Lilith felt the tension leave her sister once more.

"Visions, huh, I guess that's pretty cool when I think about it. It could help with ghost fighting for sure. Speaking of powers..." She let her legs drop from her chest, placing her hands on the ice cold ground, leaning back and letting her arms support her weight. "What about you? I mean I know you didn't want to go into detail about that guy, fixing the medallion and healing dad and everything, but Lilith, you can't expect that wasn't something connected to you, to time travel, and maybe even Dan."

Lilith's eyes moved to her clasped hands in her lap. "I just don't know. I have more questions than I do answers." It was true; whenever she thought she had a concrete answer, it instead just left trails of more questions. It was the one thing that continued to haunt her. Out of nowhere, Danielle covered her hands with her own in comfort.

Her eyes snapped to her sister's.

"Whatever it is, we'll get through it together."

They quickly embraced., letting the understanding that they always had each other back freely pass through the other. They would never let each other down.

They softly pulled away from the hug. Supporting her weight, Lilith staggered to her feet, lifting herself off the ground; she offered a hand to Danielle to help her to her feet as well.

"Yeah," Danielle agreed, her voice matching that of her sister's, a playful smile on her lips. "But I'll always kick your butt at video games." They both released soft chuckles as they looped their arms together, finding their way back to Frostbite's castle.

* * *

Upon entering the castle, Their laughter slowly subsided as the girls were greeted by their dad, a sober expression setting on his face. "Lilith." His eyes were void of anything. His pitch expressed little emotion; he meant business and Lilith knew it. He didn't speak like this unless he needed to.

"I need you tell me all Clockwork told you about time travel and paradoxes."

* * *

"This is absolutely insane." Sam threw her arms wildly above her head. "If he succeeds we'll all be wiped out of existence!" She all but cried at Danny. Her face rushed with heat, setting ablaze redness to her usual creamy and pasty color. Everyone made sure to put at least a good five feet in distance between them and the enraged mother.

 _Yep. The girls get their temper from their mom. Not that I'm complaining._ Danny couldn't help but smile at the thought.

Lifting his hands in front of him - whether it was to provide some show of confidence or to put some space between the heated goth, Lilith would never know - he said, "I don't think so. Clockwork said that Dan existed outside of time. The fact that he still exists means that he is part of the larger grand scheme of things. If what you said is true, that even when time is rewritten some pieces still remain because they are essential to time's ultimate plan. If we get him to rewrite something truly fixed he will no longer be valuable in the plan of the universe."

His parents, Tucker, Jazz, and Frostbite seemed to understand the gravity of his words as he explained everything. It was a hard concept to connect in the mind, but it still stood true. Jazz huddled closer to Sam, trying to calm the goth the best she could, placing a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

Feeling the anger slowly start to dissipate and the fog that had clouded her mind starting to fade, Sam was finally able to ask in a calm voice, "Hold on I'm really confused. What are you saying?"

Danny could only sigh in relief. "I'm saying that the majority of time acts like a liquid, or water to put it simply. Water takes the shape of whatever container you put it in. Meaning, it can be changed and adjusted with ease without affecting the grand scheme of things. Then there are fixed points. Those points in time are few but they are solid and can, or really, must never be altered. These fixed points are protected so if anyone were to try and change it they would find themselves hunted down until the issue is resolved with extreme prejudice."

Sam's eyebrows knitted together, bafflement filling her amethyst eyes. "What does ' _With extreme prejudice_ ' mean exactly?" Her arms automatically covered her chest as she always when she felt dazed. She pivoted on the balls of her feet as her upper body tilted forward slightly.

Danny continued, "It means that they don't just stop you from creating a paradox and changing a fixed point. They erase you from existence entirely. They are the only things able to do this sort of thing. They're called The Balance."

When no one brought an argument, he then explained, "That is why this is going to work." His eyes cast to his two daughters. "Lilith and Danielle, I need to talk to you two."

"So far, Danielle, you have had several visions that are all very real. Every time they happen they happen in real time."

She knew what her dad was saying, what was being asked of her. "Yeah but they happen at random, I don't have control over them. I never had." Even with the way Lilith had made it sound, how it seemed that she had complete control over them, that was neither here or now.

He placed his hands on her shoulder to maintain eye contact. "Sweetie, when I first got my powers I had a difficult time controlling them. It took practice and motivation to master them. Right now we don't have time for you to master them but if we can just access them for a moment. We just need the right motivation."

Danielle looked to the corner of the room to see Tucker working quietly on his PDA. She thought of how warm they were together that night and for the first time in her life, she slept without the memories of Vlad haunting her dreams. He was worth the world to her. He was goofy and quirky, he made her laugh so easily, as if it was breathing and even though he wasn't the strongest of there group, there was no one else like him. So she concentrated on the night they spent together. It wasn't crude nor tainted by desire, no they respected each other too much for that. The memory of that night flowed through her as though she could relive every second.

Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath. "I think I got it."

"Good, now Lilith, I need you to use your medallion and focus on Dan. We need to know what he has been up to recently."

Lilith grabbed the medallion, commanding the energy to flow through the small piece of metal, connecting the energy to her body and flood her being. She could feel the power the medallion held and the amount that it was installing her as she clasped it in her hand; it felt almost overwhelming in a sense, but in a way, it felt right, almost as if it needed her. It was hard to ignore.

"I'm going to need you trust me. Still focusing, take each other's hands."

The sisters did as they were told, connecting their hands in a hard grip. The moment their fingers brushed against each other's, a portal opened up but instead of this one being blinding white it showed brief images of all the events Dan had experienced in the last week of his life.

Everyone's jaw widened in complete shock, almost hitting the floor. The group inched closer, Tucker next to Danielle if need be, while the rest centered towards Danny and Lilith. It was dead silent as scenes played through Dan's past week. The images bursting through in quick successions.

Lilith was the first to pierce the numb silence. "This is amazing. I had no idea we could do this. I can't believe - OH MY GOSH IS HE HAVING SE... Oh gosh, I just saw my dad have sex with that woman that looks like mom! Oh my gosh!"

Danny just gave a roll of his eyes. "Honey that's not me nor is that your mother." Hell, they didn't even have a clue as to who the woman really was or how she even resembled Sam, but for the moment, it was at the bottom of their priority list of things they needed to figure out.

The now scared teen could only stammer out, "Still, that's the same... thing."

Seeing the visions start to fade, Danny tried to get Lilith's mind back on track, pointing to the scenes playing out in front of them. "Sweetie, I need you to focus, otherwise this won't work."

Danielle laughed. "I just can't believe you went sixteen years without accidentally walking in on those two."

Lilith's eyes widened, her jaw-dropping further if possible to the point Danielle thought her jaw would break. "You're telling me you have! How? Why!?"

The older teen raised her free hand in defense. "I didn't do it on purpose. You know I was homeless for the first two years of my existence! I didn't know knocking was a thing until I was fourteen and a half!"

Maddie blinked in surprise as she did the math in her head. "Fourteen and a half, that would make Danny... _Young man, she better have meant that she just walked in on you two cuddling!"_

However, before he had to deal with the fury of his mom, something caught his eye in the portal, thankful for the distraction. "Mom, wait just a minute." Danny could heave a sigh of relief at the distraction in front of them. "He hasn't tried to get his timeline back yet. That means we're not too late! Lilith go get Frostbite, we have to get ready!"

* * *

"Come on, we're getting close to where he's going to be."

The group walked silently in the pouring rain, soaking their clothes to their skin. The exposed brick of the alleyway covered both of their sides. They knew where Dan was going to be. They saw his every step up to this point. Now was the time they ended it, once and for all.

They could hear the pounding of Dan's footsteps as he rounded the corner of the badly lit alley to see the two halfas standing before him.

However, the evil halfa didn't seem fazed by them standing there, nor amused. He simply just sighed. "Oh, wow, I didn't expect to get mugged by the wonder twins tonight."

Danny stepped forward into the light of the street lamp. "Speaking from experience, you are way too young for that reference."

That made Dan step back in shock. "You! But you're dead!"

A smirk graced his face. "Yeah, I tried it out for a while, didn't exactly stick."

"You little... you are so stupid!" Dan growled out.

Out of the ground came ten duplicates of Dan. "Wanna know the best thing about my new powers Daniel? You see when you make a duplicate it splits your strength seeing as they are each half your being. Not me. See we aren't simple copies, we are our future selves all with tremendous power. All I have to do is remember to come back to this exact moment and kick all of you and your friend's asses. Repeat that about ten times and well, to quote a very famous book "We are Legion, for we are many." But that's not even the best part. That is the fact you assumed I took you for dead! No, I knew the moment you crawled out of the slime. Isn't that right Valerie?"

Valerie stepped up alongside Dan, guilt claiming her face. She avoided their gaze, her eyes flickering to the ground, to the sky, everywhere but them every few seconds. "I'm sorry Danny. I had to protect my family." Finally, her eyes landed on the three halfa's, nothing but regret filling them.

Rage burned in his electric emerald eyes. His daughters felt the anger fueling their own. Danielle could feel her body shake along with Lilith as they tried to contain their fury. "Your father would have given his life not to give this madman leverage! You can't say he wouldn't!"

Before Valarie could answer, Dan cut in. "You're absolutely right Daniel, he would gladly die to stop me. But I think you need to update a little more. Go on Val, tell them the good news. It's a boy isn't it?"

Confusion instantly replaces the anger. "Val, what is he talking about?" They all looked to Valarie waiting for answer to what could be running through her head.

She took a few deep breaths before answering, "The day Dan attacked Fenton Works, my Dad's girlfriend gave birth to my half-brother. When Dan attacked me before at my house something happened. I saw all these awful things. Dan had brought humanity to its knees. Amity Park was one of the world's last safe havens and he broke through. He destroyed everything I ever loved. It was so real it was like..."

"A future that never was. Sound familiar, Daniel?"

Gritting his teeth together, he sneered, "It doesn't matter what you do now Dan. You tried time and time again to kill me and it just doesn't work. I'd change your tactic if I were you."

A horrid smile took its place on his lips. "You know what, I think you're right for once. I think I'll have my friends keep you all busy for a little while. I have places to go."

"Lilith, now!"

Lilith winded back her arm and hurled her time medallion to Danny.

* * *

Both Dan and Danny entered into the portal instantaneously as Dan forced it open, his intention to go alone before he realized that Danny had the medallion. It was too late, however, as Danny got sucked in just as he had planned.

The bright light of the hospital room was blinding in contrast with the nightly rain they had just come from. Time stood still as the two Dannys exited the portal. Danny did his best to stop Dan from reaching the hospital bed but he threw Danny to the ground where he lay in pain.

"Don't do it, Dan! You'll erase yourself with me!"

He only released a spine-tingling chuckle. "That's the only good thing you ever did for me brat! When you screwed with fate you made me exist out of time! I have nothing to lose." He raised his hand as he created a plasma blade around it looking directly at the newborn baby cradled in his mother's arms.

 _"I am untouchable!"_

A huge crack emerged from the ceiling opening to reveal pitch black darkness. An unearthly shriek came from the black void as dark smoke began to fill the room.

"Not quite," Danny corrected with a smile.

His eyes shot to the halfa on the ground. "What the hell did you do, Daniel!"

He smiled in acknowledgment. "We knew about Valerie, that's why we didn't tell her our true plan. We took a gamble but it looks like it's about to pay off."

 _"What the hell is happening!?"_

Three very tall figures descended from the crack above. Each one was hooded in long flowing robes, one black, one grey and one white. The room became pitch black with only the figures and Dan illuminated.

"You have committed the ultimate crime." The first voice was brash, deep with a gravelly undertone. They had the ability to strike fear into anything they pleased. And they wanted Dan to crumble.

"You have tried to destroy fate itself." This one hissed out, taking presence in the room. Dan didn't want to admit that he was beginning to shake. He felt the break in his confidence.

"You will be forever erased from all time and space." The voice was barely above a whisper, but the weight of it made it easy to hear; this ghost knew how to deliver his words. His resolve began to break even further, bringing him to his knees.

Together, they screamed, "WHEREVER YOU GO WE WILL FIND YOU. HOWEVER FAR BACK YOU HIDE YOU WILL NOT BE SAFE. TIME AND SPACE HAVE BETRAYED YOU JUST AS YOU HAVE IT. YOU WILL NEVER BE FREE, YOU WILL BE HIDDEN, AND YOU WILL NEVER BE SAFE."

The Balance moved in as the shrieking got louder and louder. Dan could do nothing as they approached. He quickly raised his hand as it glowed bright gold. The room still remained pitch black, the glow only illuminating himself and the horrifying faces under the aged hoods. Their eyes glowed a color not describable in human terms, all Dan knew was that they instilled fear like nothing he had ever known. It was as if that primal instinct all beings had was made specifically for their purpose as a warning against committing something so heinous. Everything about them was unnatural, as if seeing the living embodiment of death, only those who have seen it know, but there are no words of any language to describe beings so ancient.

Cornering Dan, each raised a hand as reality itself began to bend around the dark ghost. The lights in the hospital room began to blink on and off. Dan's screaming could be heard as one of The Balance turned to look at Danny. The flickering light hid the being's face but it's eyes pierced Danny's very soul. The blood-curdling scream continued as the being stared at him.

"We will always remember. You will never forget."

The lights became solid once more and The Balance were gone. Danny was alone as he looked down on his past self, so small, innocent. It was hard to believe that he could have grown up to have two completely opposite outcomes. But it was over now. The ultimate enemy had been defeated. Danny walked back through the portal and back to his family in that dark alley. All the time duplicates of Dan were no more. Their nightmare had finally ended.

* * *

Izzy gazed out her window to the night sky. The clouds that have been protecting Amity Park had drifted away into the night. A small cupcake with a candle on it sat on the kitchen island. She took her flip lighter and ignited the top.

"Happy birthday, Mom. I thought maybe this year I wouldn't be celebrating it alone." Taking a small breath, she extinguished the small flame.

"I guess I was wrong."

* * *

 **Poor Izzy. My heart goes out to her. Well, I must go now. I'll see you next week! Please review? Sorry to sound desperate, I just really appreciate the feedback, it really helps the writing process. Lol**


	19. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18! I can't wait to see what you guys think! Also, THIS IS IMPORTANT, I NEED YOU TO READ THIS NEXT PART: I'm planning on going back and adding more to the previous chapter; revamping if you will. I will alert you in an A/N when I have done so. Okay, I think that's it. Oh, also, thank you for your patience for this chapter, I really appreciate it. Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom, Nickelodeon does.**

* * *

"Dad, I love you."

"Jack, look out!"

"Maddie please don't cry... I will find you again."

"Grandpa, _run!"_

"Lilith, the light of my stars, will you marry me?"

"Congratulations Mr. Fenton, It's a boy."

"Please wake up Dad. _Dad!_ "

"You will never hurt my family ever again Plasmius!"

"What will we call this new world?"

"How about Phantasm."

"I loved you..."

Dan grasped at the very fabric of reality as he was stretched into a billion pieces throughout time and space. Every moment was pure agonizing pain as he was ripped apart and put back together over and over again. It spun around him, making his mind unstable. Time became only an illusion as he saw it flash before him. His skin started to crawl over his entire body, the blood in his veins began to rapidly flow throughout his being. Sweat was matted in his hair, making it cling to his face and neck. Life still played around him in a timeless loop, seeming to have no end.

" _Izzy!"_

He could see her, if only for a moment, looking down at something in her hands. The look on her face was serious, both happy and sad at the same time. Her eyes burned with unleashed tears, her hand covering her mouth, but Dan could see the tremble in her hands as she held back tears. Then she vanished.

"No, I will _not_ lose you too!"

He was desperate at this point, needing to get out of this, to get to her. Time kept spinning around him such that it began to make his headache in an unbearable way. He screamed for the three monsters that had locked him in here, begging for them to hear him.

 _"No! I will not give in! You will not take her from me!"_

He would not give up without a fight. Bringing his hand in clear view, it started glowing brightly as the sun.

"You three didn't finish the job! I still exist! _Come and get me!"_

He knew he was patronizing them at this point. But maybe if he goaded them, they would start to become annoyed and at least expose themselves. He needed to get back to Izzy. He just had to.

Time continued to spin.

Never ending.

His own personal hell.

Until he could bear it no longer.

Dan could feel himself being stretched to the breaking point. This was pain beyond comprehension, but if it meant seeing her again it was worth it.

Dan screamed in pain, closing his eyes as not to see what was happening to his being. Suddenly the pain stopped and he could feel... nothing. No warmth, no cold, he wasn't numb but at the same time, he had no feeling in his body. All he could see around him was blackness. He floated in nothing. There was no sky, no stars, no feeling. It wasn't just nothing, it was as if nothingness itself had also disappeared.

Then he saw them. The three tall figures illuminating each other. They started circling him, their robes flowing gracefully in the non-existent wind. They always seemed to talk in three. The grey first, the black second, and lastly the white. Intimidating was the least way to describe the weight of their voice.

"Have you come for us to complete your fate?"

"Do you wish for your suffering to end?"

"You thought you had escaped us. You were wrong."

Together, they spoke, "The Universe requires your existence but we have ways around this. You are unique but not above punishment. Eternal punishment far worse than death. You called on us thinking your torture was of our own design and when you tried to escape it was your actions that caused your pain. It was _yours_. It is what you are truly owed for all of your crimes. When history needs you present we will use you as an unfeeling puppet. You will be trapped in the recesses of your own insanity as we use your physical form to do what is necessary for the timeline. You will not be in control. You will forever be hollow as our tool and as our slave."

Dan eyed the three, a somber tone coating his words. "I suppose that means I'll never see Izzy again then." He stood motionless as his heart pounded in his ears, waiting for an answer.

"The human known as Elizabeth has become...unnecessary, and will only cause the timeline trouble thanks to your actions. She will bare a legacy that will challenge fate itself. Her descendants will bring horror and pain. She will be taken out of the equation before the wrong history sets in. You have caused her to become the scorn of future humanity. It is because of your actions that she is now a threat to existence, a threat we must erase."

The growl he released echoed throughout the void, forming from the pit of his chest. His azure eyes flared up with fiery green brilliance. His lips curled over his teeth. He moved one leg back and the other forward, leaning his body forward, preparing himself to attack.

"Over my dead body."

Dan raised his hand outward as the beings start to glow bright gold, shielding his eyes. "We have existed before time itself. We have served the will of creation beyond what your mind can comprehend and here we stand outside the reach of time itself. We cannot be erased by you or any power mankind possesses."

Dan's eyes glowed bright gold as a purple cloak emerged from Dan's being, wrapping around his body. Clockwork's voice could be heard as Dan said, "I never really liked you three. So full of arrogance, thinking that you were the only thing making time advance. It is time you three learn your place and let time shape itself. It is time free will is free once more."

The shock wore off slowly as they came to grips with who stood before them. They halted their circulating around the evil halfa as they found themselves face to face with the master of time. An all-knowing smile graced Dan's body's lips.

"Clockwork," The first being of the balance hissed, "you merged with this heathen. You have betrayed your duty and the power we have given you. We always knew you had a soft spot for the boy. We will take that power back!"

Clockworks voice remained composed, collected. Always like the calm before the storm, no one lived to tell the tale of what it was like to find the storm within him. "Not today, you see, in your arrogance, you never thought that anyone could stand against you. You never thought that time had a plan of its own. A plan you are no longer apart of!"

Raising his hand, he opened up a pure white portal. His eyes never left the three ghosts, which is when they realized something important.

The calm was beginning to break.

"Question. What happens when you open a Timeline Void in a place void of time?"

The Balances looked among themselves, questioning where the time ghost was leading with this.

"Answer."

They couldn't say anything, they were completely paralyzed. This was a Clockwork that no one wanted to see, yet they had provoked him to such an extent that they knew regret would soon follow for the rest of eternity.

"Let's find out together!"

The space around them began to forcefully enter the portal. The three Balances began to shriek as they too were sucked into the white void. "Clockwork! You Viper! You have doomed us all."

"It's time you three had some _Time Out."_

As the two voids collapsed into each other, light consumed Dan's vision. Soon he felt surrounded by something soft and familiar.

* * *

Dan jolted up.

"Come on, you tall Asshole's! You touch my girl and I'll rip you to shreds!" He moved his head, scanning his surroundings for the three bastards. He didn't find them in his sight, then reality started to set in and he realized that he was no longer in the black void of time. No, what his sight caught was a much more pleasant view:

Izzy's apartment.

The sun blasted through her wall-high windows. The bed he sat in cradled him, adjusting to his body shape. Everything was normal: her dresser in the far right corner, her art supplies settled on the other far side. A nightstand rested on her side of the bed. A few paintings hung on her wall. Her room was otherwise bare as usual.

Scrambling to his feet, he could feel the stretching of his muscles, begging for him to remain in the bed as he pushed himself off the comforting mattress. The soft fuzzy carpet met his naked toes. "What the heck?" The words fell from his lips without conscious thought put into them. How did he get here? Where was Izzy? Was she okay? Letting his ears reach further into the rest of the apartment, he could hear the hushed mumbling of another person.

"Dad, I'll call you right back. Love you."

That's when the sound of feet pattering against her hardwood floor could be heard. They grew louder, increasingly becoming faster with each pounce they took as they drew nearer to the bedroom. Izzy came rushing into the room, her face stricken with disbelief and confusion. All she wore was her bathrobe with her hair pulled back into a high ponytail.

"Thank goodness, you're awake!"

* * *

Her movements were sluggish, her legs beginning to shake from the pressure. She forced her feet to move in front of the other, but they started to slow into small strides. Her limbs were dragged at her joints with every step, causing small jolts of pain. Due to the fear that she would never see Dan again, she had stayed up all night worrying, which turned to crying.

The heat beat wildly from the sun's rays down her neck, but no warmth came from it; her coat didn't do anything to protect her from it, only amplifying the intensity of the sun. Her heart had been all but still the past day; there wasn't anything be too excited about since Dan's absence.

Maybe it was her fault that he had left. She was a pretty boring girl and he just grew tired of her. Maybe he didn't like the sex that night. She wasn't anything extraordinary. She was plain old Elizabeth Combell. She was always being left behind; it would never change, no matter how much she wished it would.

She was always left behind.

She was used to it by now.

Entering the diner, she saw her coworkers at their usual stations. A couple were wiping down tables, a few served the early customers, and another manned the register. The one at the register, Jenny, gave a bright smile as the bell over the door gave a shrill of a ring, alerting her to Izzy's presence.

"So, how'd it go with loverboy last night?" She sent a suggestive wink to Izzy, which only made her flinch in response; this didn't go unnoticed by the waitress. She leaped over the counter, wrapping her in a tight embrace. "What happened?"

Ordinary.

Nothing special.

Her words were muffled into the older woman's shoulders, but still understandable. "He never showed. I waited for hours. Nothing." She pulled away from the hug and wiped away the few tears that had sprouted. She gave a forced chuckle as she busied herself with her apron.

She continued with lame excuses. "Doesn't matter. Sure, it was an important date for me, but he doesn't even know me. Hell, I'm not worth more to him than the next person that crosses the sidewalk. I'm not worth-"

"You shut your mouth right now young lady." Izzy however, kept her eyes trained on her fumblings with the cloth tied around her waist. "You are worth so much more than you give yourself credit for. How about you take the day off. I'm sure your dad and Alexandria would love to see you."

She nodded in agreement and quietly retreated to the exit. If she was having a bad day, maybe her dad and stepmom would help put a smile on her face. They knew how to soothe her troubled thoughts.

Falling in love was easy; she had done it in a matter of weeks.

It was the landing that killed her.

Those words continued to haunt her, no matter how much she tried to banish them. Maybe if she hadn't distracted her mom that day, her mom would still be here. Maybe she wouldn't feel empty inside. Maybe she would feel whole again.

 _Who are you kidding? You've felt empty since you could ever remember. Even before her death; young little Elizabeth._

While the voice inside her mind was right, everything had gone downhill after her mother's death. At the mere age of five, she was diagnosed with depression; and it truly never left, that is until Dan stepped into her life and spun everything she knew, everything she felt, upside down.

She felt complete in an unexpected way. He made her feel at peace, like maybe she had a home to finally come to, and it was crazy. It was crazy and irrational and possibly the stupidest thing she had done thus far in her life. She only knew him for a few weeks, but over the course of those weeks something came alive in her, awoke in her. But he was gone now, just like everyone else. Just like her mom.

Gone.

Every time. Just gone.

Her heart began to race as her finger made contact with the doorbell. It'd been a good while since she'd seen her family and the guilt had begun to claw at the inside of her stomach. Her knee started to shake with a nervous twitch as she stood on the porch, waiting for the door to open.

Once it did, it revealed her stepmom standing there, her auburn hair laying casually in curls around her shoulders, her doe eyes that held beautiful pitch black orbs shining brighter than the stars at night. Her small plump lips rested in an easy smile framing her soft round baby face; she may be in her late forties, but her youth had yet to escape her. She wore her usual white blouse with her black slacks and stiletto heels.

"Sweetie," Her sweet melody voice sung out. "I was wondering when you were coming over. Your dad was gonna call you after work to see if you're alright. We actually found a surprise you might like." She widened the door and ushered Izzy in, taking her coat and giving her a tight squeeze before darting off into the kitchen to find some unknown items that must've been long forgotten.

Izzy settled on the couch, crossing her ankles and folding her hands in her lap. "Is dad working late again?" She put enough force behind her scratchy words so that they would carry to the kitchen. It burned her throat to talk, but that typically was the result of crying the whole night prior.

"Of course, you know how he is with his work, I sometimes think it's his second marriage." The jest was given in kind and helped to alienate some tension weighing down on her shoulders. Her lips even started to stretch a bit; it didn't reach her eyes but still, it was there.

Alex returned minutes later with tea in one hand, and a heavy looking box under her other arm. Izzy questioned whether or not her stepmom was a pro wrestler at one point in her life. Then again, the older woman did have to chase her around in her rebellious stage at sixteen. Fun times. Fun times.

She was honestly thankful that her dad had met Alexa. Her dad, while a very loving father and as present as he could be, had troubles balancing spending time with her, keeping on top at work and making ends meet. They were not the richest people, and when he met Alexa when Izzy was just ten years old, she took a lot of the responsibility of caring for Izzy. And while the young her had built up so many walls to keep people out, She knew she couldn't replace her mom, but she was still there when she needed her. She was grateful for the fact that she got a pretty cool step mom.

Except when she disciplined her.

She had hated being grounded.

But then again every parent had to do that, and Alexa made a promise not only to be a good wife to her dad, but a good parent to Izzy as well, and she raised her pretty well. The woman had the patience of a bull, and the kindness of a saint. Izzy knew she hadn't been the best child to be around after they were introduced, but Alexa loved her all the same.

Taking the offered cup, she inhaled the powerful aroma of lemon as it waffled up to her nose. Taking a long sip, the tea did it magic as it splashed on her taste buds, making them sing in joy, and made Izzy hum in contentment as the tea made it way down her throat to soothe the throbbing ache.

She set the box down on the coffee table in front of Izzy, cutting the duct tape that sealed it shut. Setting the pair of scissors down next to the unknown box, the older woman reached in and grabbed a few piles of what looked to be pictures.

Stifling through the pictures, her eyes filled with amazement as she viewed picture after picture of her with her mother, and a few with both of her parents. She couldn't help the tears that flew from her this time, unable to hold them back any longer. There was one thing that had raffled her as she shuffled the pictures:

They never had a camera.

They never had the money for one. Her parents loved her dearly, and both worked, and when they finally had stable finances to almost adopt a baby, they were thinking about doing so. The weirdest thing of all was that she didn't have any memory of having her picture taken, but chalked it up to being a young toddler, and having not such a sound memory at that time.

"You look so much like her."

Izzy lifted her head from the memories to look at her stepmom. Scooting closer to her, she placed her head lightly on her shoulder in thanks. This woman held no jealousy, no resentment, just utter awe at the beauty she shared with her mom.

The last one caught her attention, however. It was a picture. Of what looked to be her, but in a sense, not. She looked way too goth to resemble her, with her inky black hair tied into a half ponytail, a crop top, plaid skirt, purple leggings, and amethyst eyes instead of her golden ones. On one side, a darker skinned guy stood with her, trying to strike a cool pose, but failing miserably. A red barrette sat snuggly on his head. Black large framed glasses sat awkwardly on his face.

The other guy that stood next to her made her breath catch in her throat. He had raven black hair, white t-shirt, and normal blue jeans. His crystal blue eyes seemed to match the brilliant smile placed on his face, brimming with happiness.

It was Dan.

Or at least, someone that looked like a younger version of Dan, fourteen maybe.

Now that she examined it closely, she would say it looked like Danny Fenton, or some people referred to him as Phantom. Her head began to pound in a rhythmic beat against the walls of her head. Reaching for her temples, she tried her best sooth away the ache.

"Sweetheart, are you okay?"

Keeping her head in her hands, she mumbled out, "Yeah, just a sudden headache. I didn't get very much sleep last night." She could feel the worry that coursed through Alex. A soft hand was placed on her shoulder.

"Did he show?"

"No."

"Asshole."

That got Izzy to chuckle softly."I'm just not worth that much Alexa. plai-"

"Elizabeth Samantha Campbell. Don't you dare finish that sentence. How about I drive you home and you get some sleep. I'll stay over and cook you my famous lasagna for dinner." She wiggled her eye row at the suggestion and Izzy couldn't help the warmth that settled in her chest.

She always did enjoy the older woman's cooking, especially the lasagna. Her stepmom would often secretly bribe her not to sneak out when she was being extra defiant. It honestly worked every time. Nothing could compare to her cooking. Nothing."Yeah, okay."

Setting down the picture, she grabbed her coat, resting it around one arm. They quickly made their way to her car, with Alexa's arm wrapped securely around Izzy's waist to support her to the vehicle.

She decided it was best to push the image of the picture out of her head. Whoever that was, however that picture got there, she knew one thing. Just like her mom, Dan was gone; he wasn't going to return.

He was nothing more than a phantom.

* * *

"So, I uh... How did I get here?"

He was interrupted by a sharp bolt to his face. The sting flooded his entire cheeks. It eventually settled into a tingling sensation, but beyond that, was numbness. For a moment, Dan was frozen in pure shock at what just conspired; had she really hit him, and if so, what the hell for? Out of all the greetings, he hadn't expected that to be it.

"What the heck was that for!" he said.

The anger that resided on her face didn't falter. "Where the heck have you been all this time! First, you say you're going to come over all day for my Mom's birthday, which you know is hard on me. Then you just never show up and after all this time I just find you on my balcony covered in blood and bruises. How the heck did you ever freekin get up there anyway?"

"I don't know, it's all a blur but..."

That only angered her further. She started to pace about the room, throwing her hands wildly above her head. "Oh great, you got beat up in a bar fight after getting crap faced and thought oh you know what would be great right now? Hooking up with my old fling!"

"What the hell are you talking about? You're more than just a fling to me!"

When blood rushed to her face, she halted her pacing, and shifted her body slightly inward, keeping her eyes drawn to the side, breaking contact. Her hands automatically went into her robe pockets, probably to keep them from wandering anywhere they should be, like around his shoulders for a hug. Dan could see the moment the storm calmed in her fiery golden eyes.

When she didn't speak up, he continued. "Anyway, that's not it, okay! I wasn't drunk. I got jumped a couple days back when I was heading over here for your mom's birthday. There are people out there that don't exactly like my profession and they beat the ever living crud out of me and took me captive. I was able to make it out. But that's why I didn't make it over the other day. I'm sorry."

Her expression immediately changed to confusion, her stance loosened slightly, and if he wasn't mistaken, he swore he saw her move an inch towards him. "What do you mean by a couple days ago?"

He carelessly shrugged his shoulders. "Well I don't know how long they had me there but I just assumed it had to be at least a couple days."

She drew her words deliberately as she said, "Dan, it's been almost a month and a half since my mom's birthday."

That rattled him to his core. He stumbles backward, his legs swaying a bit. "That- no I couldn't have been gone that long it felt like... days. I swear if I ever see those creeps again I'll make sure they pay!"

Her whole body shifted upright the gravity of the situation dawned on her. "Crap, this actually happened then. Are we in danger!?" Darting to her purse that sat on her nightstand, Izzy reached into her bag and pulled out a black four-sided blade. It was small and compacted in her palm, but Dan knew it could be deadly when used correctly.

"Is that a kunai?"

She beamed with pride, twirling around her most prized possession. She didn't have many things—she wasn't rich, and her apartment was more of a loft than anything—but the two things she forever loved was her coat from her mom that she received after her passing, and the knife in her hands."Yup. Kinda surprised you know what that is."

Dan folded his arms together over his chest, challenging her on the encounter that he had with the blades. "I've been to Japan, had one of the bastards lodged in my shoulder once. Why do you have one?"

"I like ninjas, so sue me. Also, I was wondering the story behind that scar."

"Well you can put it away; I'm pretty sure we are not going to be hearing from those people anytime soon. Did you happen to keep any of my shirts I left here?"

Dan lifted his blood-stained shirt to reveal a large bruise covering the majority of his torso. Seeing the bruise Izzy grasped at her stomach and ran to the nearest garbage can and proceeded to release the contents of her stomach into it.

He rushed along with her, after a moment of confusion of what to do, before his hands moved without thought and grabbed at her hair, pulling away from the vomit. "I know you're a little squeamish at the sight of blood, but are you okay? I've been hurt before and you never have well, spewed before."

After heading to the bathroom to wash her mouth out, Dan made his way to the bed and then took a seat at the edge. Izzy soon returned and took a seat next to the halfa.

"We need to have a talk."

He gave a low husky laugh that made her insides contract and sing in a racing hum. "Well, didn't we just do that? I mean, I still have the red mark on my face to prove it. I don't think I have enough energy if you're asking for makeup se-

"Dan, I'm _pregnant_ ," she said in a low voice.

"Umm..." This caught him off guard.

* * *

"What do you mean things aren't right?!"

Lilith's eyes almost bulged out of her eye sockets. She finally arrived back home to her time, stopping by her uncle Clockwork's tower as she always did after an assignment to see how she fared in his eyes at her job. However, the moment she came flying in, the words that fell from his lips only shocked her to her core.

Her assignment wasn't finished.

"I mean that your assignment back in 2010 is not yet complete." She turned her back on the time ghost, keeping her eyes trained on the empty space in front of her. She thought when she got home, after not seeing her uncle for weeks, she would be at least greeted with a hug or something.

But, instead, she was met with the words _mission failed._

She was being childish, she knew that, but she couldn't bring herself to care. She wouldn't turn to meet him. She felt the anger bubble deep within. "What are you talking about! We stopped Dan, he was wiped from existence, gone, done, finished. How is that not complete."

Clockwork covered his face in frustration, heaving a sigh through his lips. "I thought that hiding it would help you stay unbiased in your mission, but clearly it has only made things worse. I was also worried it'd make up unable to fight him because you'd be too worried to do so."

That grabbed her attention. Finally turning around, she faced one of the most important ghosts in her life. "What do you mean hiding. Whats _it?_ "

She could see the hesitation in his fiery eyes. "When I gave you this mission, I thought that you would be hesitant to do what needed to be done, seeing your relation to Dan. But by what I have done, you have gone too far and risked destroying your own future. The Balances were never supposed to get involved."

That only brought more confusion to the young halfa."I don't understand, what are you saying? That I personally know Dan in my time? That's impossible. We had him erased back in 2010."

He moved closer to his niece, raising his hand slowly. "Luckily, the past me had foreseen some complications and took actions of his own. As far as your relationship with Dan, it is a little deeper than you think."

Clockwork clasped his hand over Lilith's forehead. She couldn't help the gasp that fell from her lips as a barrage of memories flashed before Lilith's eyes, memories that had been locked away in the depths of her mind. A small tear escaped, running down her face.

"Uncle Dan, what have I done?"

* * *

 **Dun Dun Dunnnnnnn. Lilith had her memories wiped, and as it turns out, Dan is an actual uncle figure to her, Woot woot. And Clockwork (The 2010 Clockwork, not the one Lilith has known all her life in her time, has been inside of Dan this entire time! But his 'physical' body is still frozen is the green tarp that Dan had set up, you'll figure out why soon.)'**

 **Also, Izzy is pregnant. Naughty naughty naughty. Lets see how Dan takes that next chapter.**

 **Please read and review!**

 **Shout Out to my awesome beta reader, silente faery!**


	20. Chapter 19

**Chapter 19! I don't have much to say, but I am excited for you guys to read. Please read and enjoy! Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom, Nickelodeon does.**

* * *

"Thank you once again, Pamela. I'm not sure where we would be if it wasn't for you." Maddie gushed, taking the orange haired woman in a tight squeeze. The two had become closer over the course of the two years, and Maddie was thankful that they all had a place to stay.

Pamela nodded against her shoulder in response. "We are family after all. I'm happy to help."

Lifting the bags that had been placed in the doorway of the mansion, Maddie struggled as she climbed the stairs to their temporary bedroom; the weight of the bag caused her to drag them, so they scraped across the hardwood floor to put her luggage in the guest room. Jack followed suit behind her.

Everyone made their way to their temporary rooms.

Well, almost everyone.

Pamela stopped Danny in his tracks just as he was about to head up the stairs. In her sweetest, honey filled voice said, "Daniel sweetie, can you come here?"

He did as requested, and closed some of the distance between the two; nerves tingled down his spine for a moment but he easily brushed them off. Even though she wasn't the same demanding horrid person she was a few years back, he just never had a proper conversation with her before.

"Over the past few years, I have seen the error of my ways and have come to deeply love every member of our big goofy family. And I just wanted to say I'm sorry for ever treating you the way I did back then."

Danny's about to respond, telling her that it was all in the past, when out of nowhere, her mood completely shifted. Her soft emerald eyes turned sour in a second flat, and her lips set in a hard frown.

"That being said, I know you and my daughter love each other very much and I am no stranger to what kids your age do. I'm not gonna get into that, it's fine. But if you happen to get her pregnant, in the natural sense— I'm numbed to the idea that you two might have more babies floating out there and different, unheard of ways— while you are without both a home and stability, no amount of ghost powers will be able to fix what I will do to you. Okay?"

* * *

 _"You're what!?"_

Dan's head was spinning beyond anything he had ever thought before. He must've heard her wrong. His hearing must be going. Yeah. Yeah. That has to be it. Being stuck insider that thermos all those years had to have some sort of effect on his hearing.

Because there was no way he had heard her correctly.

"I'm pregnant, Dan."

Well, _shit._

Shock filled all of Dan's extremities. He felt a shiver run down his spine, goosebumps prickled on the thin layer of his skin as the words played on repeat in his head. The room was silent for an unbearable amount of time. He realized that her entire body was frozen; he wanted to reach out to her, do something, but for the moment, all he could do was stare on in shock.

Unfortunately, Izzy took that silence for refusing the baby, refusing her. Her hands started mindlessly twisting the ties of her robe. "I know that we had our fun and I understand if you want nothing to do with me or the baby. I'm not going to ask for money or even for you to stay. I just...Just wanted you to know in case..." Tears started to fall from Izzy's eyes.

All of her words, however, fell on to deaf ears as Dan could only think one thing that made his heart flutter.

"I'm going to be a _dad!_ "

Izzy looked up at Dan in complete surprise. "What did you say?"

Dan jumped off the bed and picked Izzy off the bed and into the air. He couldn't help the happiness that bubbled over. He spun her around wildly, without any effort, and he didn't care how he looked. He had a family. He had a growing family, which before he never dreamed of possible. He wasn't supposed to exist. Yet here he was, hugging the soon to be mother of his child.

Maybe the universe _didn't_ hate him.

Maybe they were actually going to somewhat give him back a piece of what he had lost so long ago.

A family.

 _"I'm going to be a dad!"_

Dan gently set the dazed Izzy on the bed, taking the spot next to her once again. As she lay there he placed his head on her stomach, a huge smile set on his face."Do you hear that girly, I'm your dad!"

Izzy could not believe what she was seeing. The man that she had got to know over the short time was rough and rugged, but all of that washed away as he lay his head on her stomach and talked to the new life she thought was going to make him leave her for good.

Tears continued to run down her face as the reality of the situation finally set in. His big bad exterior had been shattered into a million pieces at the thought of what Izzy was carrying inside her. Something seemed to swell inside her chest, and she welcomed the feeling. She could feel that final puzzle piece finally connect.

Dan listened to the swirls of Izzy's hungry stomach as if he was going to hear the faintest whisper from the little halfa ghost that was hiding itself.

Inside, he could feel his heartbeat against his chest.

His head was no longer filled with clouds and ash. It was clear as the brightest day. He looked up from Izzy's stomach for only a moment to see his fourteen-year-old self, holding Sam's hand. He was no longer covered in burns or bruises. A large smile graced both of their lips. The sunlight beaming from the windows seemed to dance around their heads, giving an everlasting glow.

Before the apparitions disappeared into thin air, he heard his conscience whisper:

" _Now_ you have won."

* * *

"He's my uncle! How could I have not known this before!"

Lilith's other uncle shrugged his shoulders, giving only a bored expression as he watched her pace back and forth, wildly shaking and waving her limbs about in anger; it honestly amused the master of time. She was now mostly shouting profanities at him when she couldn't make coherent sentences. Definitely her mother's daughter.

"Well, to be fair I _did_ lock that part of your memories, but hey."

She glared at his cockyness. "I've known him all my life but he never told me all those things he did. My parents said he would tell me when I understood the world a little better. I can't believe the man that encouraged me to become your apprentice and was so kind to me could do the things he did to me back in 2010."

"Yeah, despite what most people believe people do sometimes change. In a large part that is because of the actions you and your family are taking in that period."

"Yeah well, they don't seem to be working! Every time we run into him he tries to kill every one of us. How the hell can he go from that to someone who calls me his Lily pad?"

He gave a low deep sigh. "As with any big change, there is a moment of clarity, a single moment where a person hits absolute rock bottom and takes a good look at what they have become. Dan had a very troubled past, but ever since he abandoned his soul he had been on a rampage that only came to a stop when your father captured him. He spent years planning when a normal being would have gone insane. So, as of 2010, he has not hit that bottom yet."

She halted her pacing, crossing her arms over chest. Casting her eyes to the side, she said in a calmer tone, "This is so confusing. On the one hand, I've grown up with this man and seen how much he loves me and my family. On the other, I've just seen him commit horrors that. I'm just… just so confused." With her head in her hands, she drops down to her knees.

"That is exactly why I had blocked your memory. Your judgment is too clouded by what you know of Dan. But I now see that that was a huge mistake. It is precisely your memories of that great man that are going to save him in the end. Tell me child. Do you still love your uncle Dan?"

"Yes."

The way she answered without any hesitation in her voice brought a warm smile to his ghostly face. "Then you know what you must do, this is your job after all. Only you can truly save him in the end."

"How. How do I save him?"

"Now if I told you that, how would you ever learn? Now go back to your family, but know this. You must keep your memories to yourself. If any of them find out the truth about Dan, it could have grave consequences for the future."

Lilith pressed on the medallion and entered the portal back to 2010.

He started at her fading silhouette. "If only you knew how incredible you truly are, child."

* * *

Izzy awoke to the calming sound of thunder and the rain tapping gently against her window. She looked to her side to see Dan sleeping in one of his normal goofy positions. As she looked at his face she couldn't help but remember that photo that she saw at her father's place. It looked so much like him and even weirder was the girl who looked just like her. She placed a hand on Dan's arm just to feel the touch of his skin again. It felt warm and she was surprised to see that the cuts he came in with had mostly healed since then. He hazily placed his hand so that it was intertwined with hers.

"Oh, I missed you."

Izzy's head spun as the room around her melted into the halls of Casper High. In front of her was what looked like the young Dan-Or was it Danny Fenton-running towards her.

"You're back! I was starting to miss you-I mean we missed you. You know, Tucker and I-we both missed you."The blush that seeped into his cheeks causes a giggle to erupt from the young girl, as his left-hand went to its usual place on his neck to rub the awkwardness away.

Nevertheless, she easily melted into his comforting embrace. His arms seemed to somehow fit perfectly into her body; his arms found their way to her waist and her arms around his shoulder, crushing their bodies together, leaving no space between the two.

"There are sometimes I wish you weren't so clueless."

"Izzy, are you there?"

Izzy snapped out of it when a loud bang rang throughout the space of her room. She clutched Dan's chest, not realizing how she was digging her nails deep into his chest;it probably caused him pain, but she was too frightened at the moment to really put consideration to releasing her grip.

"What the heck was that?"

The look on Izzy's face was serious. Her lips pressed thinly together. "No, not again."

His eyes focused into her horror filled golden ones. "Izzy, I need you to tell me what's going on."

Her fear doesn't last long however, as she heard the harsh cries of her friend echoping in the halls of the apartment."Jenny's shit-stain boyfriend must have come home drunk again." Scrambling out of the bed, she fumbled hastily for her silk robe and, slipping into it, sloppily tying it up.

Another loud bang went off, only this time it was followed by the sound of one of Izzy's dishes breaking in the kitchen.

"Shit! That was close." She shot off to the door, the handle barely in her grasp before she felt a callus hand gripped around her left upper arm.

"Where the hell are you going?"

"My friend, Jenny. Her boyfriend is a known drunk, and once he gets that beer in him, there's no telling what he can do. I'm not letting her be alone in there with that creep. He's fucking armed!"

"Oh hell no! You are not going anywhere near gun fire. Especially with you being pregnant. That bullet went through the wall from one apartment to the next. There's no chance that I'm letting you anywhere near that."

Dan grabbed Izzy and took her to the kitchen to sit behind the island so she would be safe. He grasps her shoulders as they crouch low to the floor. "The island is probably the best place to keep away from stray shots. If you hear anything out of the ordinary you get the hell out of here. You make sure you two are safe."

He eyed the bright pink rubber gloves laying on the countertop. Deciding it was best to grab them just in case, he pocketed them in his shorts.

"Where the hell are you going?"

"I like Jenny, okay, but this isn't for her. That asshole just risked the lives of you and our child. I'm dealing with him before it goes any further. When I leave you lock the door behind me and do not open it 'till I say. I love you."

With that, Dan walked out the door. He stood outside for a moment just to make sure he heard the click of the lock. With heavy steps, he bolted over to Jenny's apartment. It wasn't too hard to find, he just looked for the door with the most scuffs and scratches in it. This wasn't the first time he had dealt with a drunk before and it would not be his last.

"Listen here you f'ck'n bitch! When I come home I want my freekin meal. I don't care how late it is; you are my girl and I am the man of the f'ck'n house. Do you understand!"

"Yes, but I just-"

"No, _I am talking!"_

Dan kicked down the door, hitting the ground with a powerful thud.

"She's not listening asshole! Not anymore!"

Dan looked around to see Jenny and her boyfriend mere inches apart, the asshole with a large rifle gripped tightly in his hands. There were broken pieces of glass scattered about from plates, cups, and other unknown things. Purple nasty bruises littered Jenny's face, along with an open cut running along her bottom lip. Her faded blonde hair was draped messly around her shoulders. The anger in his stomach only pushed further up as he saw little spots of dirty muddy blood that stood out against her light hair. Their fighting came to an abrupt halt when they saw Dan standing there, clothed in nothing but shorts and anger.

With an open mouth, Jenny asked,"Tarzan, what the hell are you doing here?"

The drunken man pushed Jenny to the ground and faced Dan. "You heard the bitch. What the hell are you doin' in my fuckin' house?" He aimed the shotgun he was holding at Dan. "Listen here gorilla boy, I'll give ya till the count a' three to leave ma' place."

The drunk couldn't comprehend that Dan wasn't shaking in fear; it was rage. And it had been a while since he had let out some out some good 'old _misplaced aggression._ He slipped on the gloves he had grabbed previously. _After all, they say leave no evidence._

"One!" her drunk boyfriend yelled, his gun still point at Dan.

Before the drunk could even blink, the halfa stood in front of him. Dan grabbed the barrel of the gun and crushed it, making a seal in the middle of the shaft. Her boyfriend started stumbling, back, knocking into a few chairs in his way. The fear that glistened in his drunken eyes only encouraged Dan more. He had to keep his expression blank, he wouldn't show emotion towards this bastard, no matter how much hoy he gained by this.

"What the hell are you?"

With his grip still on the gun, he pulled it from the drunk man's grip and threw it across the room. He lurched forward and grabbed him by the throat, lifting him off the ground as he gasped for air. Bringing him forward, a breath away from his mouth, Dan whispered, "Your worst nightmare."

"How long has he been doing this to you?" Dan asked Jenny, completely void of any emotion.

She was still shriveled up on the kitchen floor, but started to collect herself as she saw Dan handling her abusive boyfriend. "He... He...He said If I left him he would kill me. He said he would shoot up the diner and everyone in it if I told anyone."

Dan looked into the man's eyes as he flailed about in his hand. In a raspy voice, the man asked Dan, "Mercy!"

Dan looked at the black eye and bruises that distorted Jenny's face.

"No."

Dan squeezed his hand until the only sound in the room was the echo of a loud snap. "I'll take care of him. If anyone asks, say he went out for a binger and never came back. Trash like him won't be missed."

 _You enjoyed that a little too much, didn't you, little badger?_

 _Shut up Plasmius_.

 _You'll never be him again. As long as you have me in you, you'll always be a monster. That is, unless you can get rid of me. But we both know you're too weak to do that._

Blocking out the voice, Dan went to Izzy's door, giving it a light tap. "It's me. Can you do me a favor and bring Jenny some of your make-up. I will be back in a little while."

Dan carried the drunk down to the lobby. He was lucky the guy came back in the middle of the night. No one around to care. Before he went out to the parking lot he shot out all the street lights with a couple of quick plasma blasts. With the area being pitch black he carried the man to what he could only assume was the man's vehicle. It was a rusted red truck with a bumper sticker featuring Vlad's face and a phrase saying 'Masters Haunt's my Attic'.

Dan propped him in the passenger seat and then fished for the keys in the drunk's pocket. After finding them he climbed into the driver's seat and then started it up. He drove along the main road, and finally after five minutes he saw a railed turn off coming up ahead. After revving it to 65 MPH, Dan pushed the auto cruise control button. Suddenly a pole came into view and an idea invaded his mind. He veered to the side, putting the car into the pathway of the pole. Turning intangible, he moved the drunk to the driver's seat and flew off before the car could make contact with the metal. He waited until he heard the crashing of the car against the pole and the eruption of flaming fire. A wicked grin settled on his face.

After looking around, he torched the gloves with ectoplasm. Dan walked back in the lobby to see Jenny looking at him with a mix of gratitude and horror.

"What are you?"

He paused as he thought of a plausible answer. "Just someone who doesn't take any shit from people."

Her eyes seemed to search for something, anything in his. Dan knew what she was looking for: humanity. A part of him hoped that she found some. His heart ached for the idea that maybe his soul wasn't as lost as he once thought. "But you just made him... I mean the lights- it just. You must be one of them. You're like that ghost kid. You're one of those heroes."

Dan placed a hand on Jenny's shoulder. It should have felt comforting to her after he just stopped that monster from another rampage but it just felt chilling. His touch sent shivers down her spine; it wasn't exactly pleasant.

"I'm no hero, and as far as that shit-stain, Izzy doesn't need to know where he... drove off to." She gave a nod in agreement, but he could tell it wasn't out of fear that she had agreed; he could see the pain in her eyes almost vanish at the thought of her boyfriend being gone forever .

Dan made his way up the steps to Izzy's apartment.

As he climbed back in the bed, Izzy stretched out on his bare chest, letting her hair brush against his nose and overflowing it with the delicious smell of strawberries. He closed his eyes, letting the feel of her in his arms envelope him.

 _'Now come on little badger, you know that was fun. The way his neck just gave into your grip. The look of desperation in his eyes as you gave him the final judgment he would ever receive. You were meant to pass that same judgment over all this world. Not be someone's snuggle bunny. She will never be happy, not truly. You know what you are no matter how much you deny it. The boy was right when he said she will never love the real you and it will kill you all over again._ '

Before he could respond to horried voice in his head, Izzy stirred just a little. "Hey idiot, you know you said I love you right?"

Dan rolls his eyes in the back of his head. Shifting his weight, he turned on his side as Izzy went to snuggle into him, letting a content hum fall from her lips as she placed her head in the crook of his neck. "Shush up and get some sleep. You're keeping our daughter up."

He closed his eyes as Izzy placed a soft kiss on his jaw.

"I love you too, asshole."

* * *

Clockwork stood in the middle of an enormous round room surrounded by every member of the observants. They all seemed to stare down on him with beady red eyes. It would be haunting to anyone else. To Clockwork, however, it only brought out the sarcasm in him.

Using his most formal voice possible in this situation, he asked, "To what do I owe this great pleasure of being in your presence?" A sea of observants were surrounding him, but he didn't feel the fear they tried to inflect.

One spoke among the thousands gathered. "Clockwork, you have gone against our wishes time and time again taking time into your own hands! We have summoned you here to put an end to your harmful meddling. You are going against the will of your betters and you will answer for this."

He kept his voice low, as to not show any anger. With these fools, one had to remain neutral. "What do you mean, your will? Is it not free will that rules time, while yes there are fixed points, is it not free will that makes them work?"

"You have been naive Clockwork! It is time you know the truth. Long ago humans and spirits lived together in harmony. The earth then was young and beautiful. We would work together and each side prospered. But soon mankind became restless and wished to acquire more power for their own selfish desires. They would destroy and manipulate the earth in order to try and gain power over all spirit kind. They had wished to use us for their own design. It took ages to contemplate, and in doing so they nearly wiped out two-thirds of all spirit kind, but the end result is the ghost realm we call home. They sacrificed themselves so that the rest of our kind may live free of the human disease."

He could feel himself beginning to snap. "I know of our history! They didn't just do it for us, they did it for the humans as well! There was evil on both sides not just theirs!"

"They did what was necessary! As we have done since then. You see, when the ghost realm was made, the elders at the time devised a way to help shape mankind and their history to get the results that were beneficial to our kind. Human tragedies such as the Black Death, both world wars, all to keep the filth at bay so that they never again attempt to use our kind like they once did. But this is nothing of what is to come. Vlad Plasmius. He is a strange man with a lust for power."

"He hungers to rule over humanity just as a lion hungers for a gazel. He was not always like this, nor was he supposed to be. When young Masters was born, his father was successful high school football coach. His mother used to go to every game just to cheer her husband and his team on. They loved each other deeply, and their child as well. He was to follow in his father's footsteps and eventually become the head coach for the Green Bay Packers, helping them win the Superbowl three years in a row."

The evil grin that filled the observant's eye consumed Clockwork with dread for a moment. But only for a moment.

The green blob continued. "It's silly. How much the humans pride themselves on little things such as games, but it made him happy. As you know, that never came to be. One night his father was driving home from a game and nearly hit a child standing in the middle of the road. He swerved out of the way just in time, but in doing so sustained a massive head injury. A head injury that would cause a lifetime of aggression and substance abuse."

"Soon our version of Vlad's life unfolded and he lived just as we intended, even going to college with Jack and Maddie Fenton. When working on the proto-portal that gave Vlad his powers, there were only supposed to be Jack and Vlad. They would have succeeded in making the world first ghost portal. But love can make a fool out of anyone and for Jack Fenton, it didn't take much. His now wife decided to go to the same college as Vlad and Jack simply because it was closer to her sick mother, who _mysteriously_ became ill just before she made her choice.

Jack sees the beautiful woman, decides to switch to diet cola in order to try to lose weight and impress her. One thing leads to another and the rest, well is our history. It is sad in a way, as Vlad still dreams of his alternative life. Obsessing over a simple human game he will never get to be a part of."

Clockwork couldn't hold back the words as he asked, "Why? Why him?"

"We spent lifetimes figuring out how to tailor someone for our specific needs. He was just in the right place at the right time. Now he has been set free of his shackles and will return to complete that which we have created him for, no thanks to you. Long ago we had foreseen the young Danny Fenton rip the very power we gave Vlad out of his being and use it for his own power. If not stopped, he would have tried to consume spirit after spirit until nothing remained. It would have been exactly what our ancestors tried to prevent. We tasked you with terminating the boy, but you instead changed his timeline as well of the universe."

"This led to Vlad being exiled from earth. It took almost a decade to fix that to our advantage, but as you know this place exists outside of time. He is returning to correct your mistake! When he does, he will use his immense power to rule over mankind as their king. They will suffer as they are enslaved to do his bidding. Because of his powers, he also has the choice of whether he wishes to age. Meaning he will be their ruler for all time and the ghost realm shall forever have peace. Your absent mindedness in saving the ghost child will not stop destiny any longer. He is returning and he cannot be stopped!"

Finished with his speech, he had expected fear to be instilled into their little toy. But what they got from the elder ghost was something else entirely. And now they were the ones shaking.

Clockwork's face was plastered with a smug grin.

"You thought I did those things on a whim? You are truly arrogant. I had a feeling something was off with the timelines. That's why I have been keeping an eye on you and found out your plan. I have been throwing my own little wrenches into your plan this whole time."

"By changing Danny instead of killing him, Vlad had to up the antics to stop him. By doing so he accidentally created Danielle Fenton, the first daughter of Danny and Sam Fenton. You didn't honestly think she survived the way she had all that time alone, did you? Especially when she was detabalizing. Did you know she will be the first founder of the International Ghost Protection Society, protecting and bringing people together all throughout the world?"

Clockwork could taste the horror that filled each and every one of the blobs of filth. It only filled him more with triumph.

"Later they have their son, DJ, who perfects the first space shuttle capable of traveling to edge of the solar system under a day. He also becomes one of the most well known, and respected ghost professors at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. It takes a while, but with the encouragement from his family, especially his _uncle_ , he finds how much he truly loves teaching. Especially about his kind."

No one spoke, no one moved, and Clockwork released the pitch of his voice to ring loud through the thousands so that they could easily hear his victory. Because honestly, this was his favorite of all. He loved all three Fenton children, but this child held a special place in his heart and he wanted to see the fear fester as he scraped the possibility of them ever winning.

"But what I didn't plan on was the Universe giving Danny and the rest of existence a gift. There was one person that I hadn't expected until she was conceived."

He always did keep Lilith a secret from the observents. While she knew of them from the stories that he had told her, the observents never knew of her. His smirk grew more if possible.

"His second daughter, Lilith."

He could hear the gasp that erupted throughout the room, and it was such a pleasurable sound.

"She is a bit of an anomaly. You see, there's something that no one, not even herself, knows.

"In all other timelines besides the one we are on right now, she doesn't exist."

He could see how the realization slowly flood their minds; they now understood what he was saying and they sat perfectly still for the remainder of his explanation. He could see the fear also mix with anger. Clockwork forced down the haunting laughter that threatened to boil up.

"Not a single one."

A few of his employers shifted in their seats, as if they wanted to attack, but were held back by others that sat close to them. They knew of the consequences if they even tried to lay a hand on him. So he happily continued on.

"When young Danny Fenton decided to alter his future and chose not to go down a path of evil the reaction to that dark moment of history being rewritten created Lilith Ida Fenton. Not only that but it also blessed her with power beyond her wildest dreams: the power to alter time itself without the use of medallions, without these powers ever given to her. They are her's by birth. She is the gift of the universe and one day she will become something far greater than I will be able to do. She will be able to come to a truce with you. She will be the Watcher of Time and she will not be alone. Even now I am in the process of adding another halfa to the roster."

This seems to break them out of their angered induced trance. "We are aware of that Time Abomination. Why he was never wiped out of existence perplexes even the wisest of us. By all means, the universe should have wiped every bit of his existence away, yet here he stands as a blemish to our plan. We never thought the Universe could make such a huge mistake."

This caused Clockwork to sigh, because while he had won the war for the entire race of humanity, and the Fentons, he himself had lost the battle. But he knew he could rest easy with Lilith being around.

"It was no mistake, and it came at a great personal cost."

Clockwork opened the glass door on his abdomen to reveal the glass of the clock inside had been cracked and the hands twitched in an unnatural way. The painful sound of gears grinding against each other filled the room.

He closed the door and looked back at the observance.

"It will be worth it in the end though. So go ahead with your plot, because when my team gets together nothing can stop them or the future of free will. But just to make sure, you play fair from now on." Clockwork took his staff and struck it against the observants' looking glass, shattering it to pieces.

He whirled around to see the complete and utter shock of the monsters that sat around, the smile still kept its place on his lips.

"Let's see how far your group can get without its little toy!"

* * *

Opening her eyes, Danielle was met with the pitch black dark of the room she currently occupied. Without much notice, her throat flared up, begging for some water to soothe the ache. Lifting the sheets and flinging them away, the young sixteen-year-old shuffled across the room to the door, and down the stairs to the kitchen.

She knew she should be in bed at the moment, and not sitting at the table chugging her three-in-the-morning glass of water, but she couldn't shake the feeling of being on edge once again. Dan was gone, Lilith was returned home. 'All is as it should be,' as her sister and Clockwork would put it, right?

Right?

But no matter how much she tried, her mind would not be convinced. Drinking the remains of the water, she knew it was time to head back up to bed, but her body would not follow her command to move. "You're being stupid Danielle. He's gone. Everyone is safe again."

"Are you okay, sweetie?"

Danielle's eyes snapped up from her fixed gaze on the empty glass to see her nana and mom standing in the entryway. The only light that illuminated them was from that of the moonlight seeping through the kitchen window behind her. She started to move the glass around a bit to keep herself concentrated on one thing. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just couldn't sleep. Thought I'd get a glass of water to help."

"You couldn't sleep either, huh?" The question came from her mom and all Danielle could do was shake her head in response. Her mom took the unoccupied seat to her left, while her nana moved over to the stove to start boiling water for some late night tea.

Danielle slightly jumped as her mom wrapped her hand around her own. "Trust me, Dani. I know how you're feeling. I don't get why we're still on edge. We shouldn't be, with Dan being taken care of and everything."

She tried to smile at her mom, but she knew it was more of a grimace than anything.

"I've been thinkin-"

However, before her nana was able to finish the sentence, a blinding green light filled the room. A harsh thump clashed against everyone's ears as they lowered their arms to see Lilith scrunched on the floor, with her cheek crushed against the hardwood floor and butt raised up in air. Danielle had to hold back the laughter that threatened to peak through.

"Lilith." Figuring her sister was in enough pain, all three women rush to the halfa, lifting her to her feet. "What are you doing here. It's been over a month. Why are you back? Is something wrong?"

"Of course there's something wrong. I wouldn't be here otherwise, would I?" she grumbled out. She didn't mean to snap at her sister, but time travel always left her with being crashed into the floor. Each and every time.

 _You can't tell them, Lilith. It'll only cause trouble for the future._ The words echoed in her mind, but it still gave a punch to her heart. She would keep her promise to her uncle, but she feared for how she'd handle seeing Dan again. Or aunty Izzy. So many secrets and so little time to fix it all.

"So. We kinda need to talk."

* * *

 **So. Bam? Lilith has time powers of her own being. Given to her by her birthright. Woot woot. Now she just has to find that out for herself. AND she only exists in this timeline, no other. Boy that's depressing. Please read and review. Until next time lovelies!**

 **Shoutout to my beta reader, silente faery!**


	21. Chapter 20

**Chapter 20! I can't wait to see what you guys think! I do not own Danny Phantom, Nickelodeon does.**

* * *

"This is bullcrap!" Danny screamed as he tossed some of his luggage that he hadn't put away yet. The room was a mess, with clothes thrown all over the polish hardwood floor of their bedroom.

 _And Danny says Danielle gets her temper from me._

Sam watched on quietly from her secluded part on the bed, with legs crossed. She caught every piece of clothing that he flew behind him, tucking it away. She could see the fear start to crawl its way back onto his shoulders as he tried to mask that with anger.

She didn't give him a reply—she didn't really know how to—so he continued. "We tricked him into summoning three of the most powerful ghosts in all existence and he still doesn't die!" With no article of clothing left, he fell back onto the bed.

That triggered her to react; Climbing to her knees, Sam moved closer to Danny's still position on the bed. She tried to hold back the anger in her voice, but a little trickled through, and it held firm in her tone. "Since when do we kill people Danny? That's not us! That's Dan!"

Removing his hands from his face, he locked his gaze onto his fiancé, defeat and fear gripping his soul. His crystal eyes begged for an answer, to free him from this...frustration, but at the moment, no one had one. And it all but shattered Sam, because she didn't know how to reassure him that it would be okay. Because a part of her didn't know if it would be.

"Well, he deserves it for all that he's done!"

Sam noticed her voice start to escalate along with his. "And who should do it, you?! You're not this! You were never this!" She felt hopeless in that very second. He felt out of reach, even though he was just mere inches away.

The fear was now bursting through, but he was trying his best to keep up with the anger, which only worried the goth more. This was becoming too much for Danny and she could see that he was starting to break.

His voice changed as he lowers his tone into a bitter crackle of dry words, rattling Sam to her core. "This is what I need to be to stop him! To stop him from hurting us!"

She had to shake him out of this. She had to.

"Danny you need to think this through. This isn't right and you know it."

He broke their gaze, jumping from the bed and running to the far end of the room, his back kept towards her. He stayed still as he continued his staring contest with the lavender of her bedroom wall.

"No, what I know is that when Clockwork tried to have me change the timeline, Dan did everything in his power to bring it back. The first time he lost all of you it wasn't his fault, but he was going to make me lose everything! He was going to make me lose you, Sam!"

He fell to his knees, hands instinctively going to the back of his head. Sam could see the slow rocking motion his body made, which only brought a punch to her own gut at the mere sight of one of the most important people to her becoming so helpless in such a little amount of time.

"I can't lose you."

The tears broke through, racking his entire body in unleashed sobs. Crawling off the bed, Sam shuffled softly over to Danny, crouching down to where he sat, and placing her arms tightly around the shaking halfa, cradling him in her arms.

His tears seemed to crack every word, but he pushed them out. "We have gone through so much together. We have a daughter! I can't lose that."

Grabbing his chin, Sam brought his face back to hers. The bloodshot of his eyes makes her heart pound in spratic beats, but she ignored it for the minute. "If you kill him you will lose that. Even worse, you will lose yourself and the man I fell in love with. The man that Danielle looks up to. If you can't do it for yourself, then you better well do it for us. Because we don't want to lose you either Danny."

"I just don't want to lose all of you."

His words were a silent plea at this point, to who, she didn't know. But she wished and hoped for someone to hear.

Placing her forehead against his, the words were hushed, but loud enough for the both of them to hear. "If we win that way then we'll lose who we are. We can find a way, just not that way."

"I just wish he knew how much my parents still love him. After all that he's done, I can see it in their eyes everytime they hear his name."

* * *

"Danny, I love you, my son. I'm sorry I wasn't there to watch you grow up. I know you'll make a fine man. I just know that you are going to make your mother and I proud. We couldn't ask for a better son. Please do me a favor, if you are watching this, make sure your sister still goes off to college. I don't want us to hold you two back in any way. Oh, and one last thing. Ask that nice goth friend of yours out. She really likes you, and if you really are watching this... You will need to keep that wonderful heart of yours strong. We love you, Danny. Goodbye."

"Ugh!" Dan woke up gasping for breath. His eyes adjusted to the darkness as he realized he was sitting straight up. Catching his breath, he let his heartbeat start to settle once more. Focusing on his hearing, he waited for the faintest whisper of noise. When nothing disturbed the silence of the night, his shoulders slumped in relief.

With his mind lulled back into peace, his other senses came to life. The feeling of soft tan bedding sheets and a comforter cradled his heavy body. He looked to the window, where the blinds were drawn closed, not allowing any moonlight to seep in.

It was only a dream.

More like a nightmare honestly.

A hand fell on his shoulder, which caused him to jump for a moment, only to realize that it was Izzy, with concern clearly written in her eyes. Her small round lips were parted slightly in worry. Her messy curls blended in well with the blackness that surrounded them. She was clad in his oversized shirt, the blanket swallowing her small frame, making her look too precious for anyone's eyes.

"Are you okay?" she said.

Dan looked at her as a cold sweat ran down his back. Shaking himself of the nightmare, he gave her a short, "I'm fine. Just some bad memories." He watched as her eyes wandered far past him for a few moments, her thoughts miles away from the small bedroom that they occupied. He could tell she was contemplating something as she stayed hushed.

"You know, you stay here most nights as it is. You could always move in. I mean, as the three of us properly know this bed does have room for two." A hopeful smile stretched on her lips as she snuggled close to his side.

"I don't know, are you really ready for that? It _is_ a big step."

Sarcasm started to drip into her voice. "Yep and you know what else is a big step? Carrying your child inside me. So stop making piss poor excuses and get your ass up in here."

Dan smiled, which only warmed them both. "You do make a fair point. Sure, I just need a good week or so to make sure I have everything I need."

* * *

It was an average day at the diner as Izzy started wiping down tables. The usual customers came and left an hour ago. There was a quiet buzz going around the small establishment as the handful of customers conversed amongst themselves. It was about half an hour till her break, the time Dan usually came in to order lunch before taking picking her up for hers.

The radio was playing one of her favorite songs she used to rock to in high school. She looked at her belly for a moment and whispered, "When you come out, I'm going to make sure you listen to the music mommy grew up on." Her hips began to sway lightly to the soothing melody.

The bell chimed on the front door as two girls about high school age walked in. Both had raven black hair, pale soft skin, and the factual structure was so strikingly similar. The big difference feature wise was the contrast between the deep azure eyes—who actually looked familiar from somewhere, she just couldn't place where—and the light amethyst eyes, who she remembered from their first encounter a while back in the diner.

Style-wise, Izzy could definitely set the two apart. The blue eyed one wore a purple crop top with loose sleeves that ran past her hands if she didn't push them up slightly. A warm checkered hoodie hung loosely around her small waist. Her hair was pulled back into a tight ponytail while her head and ears were covered with a red beanie. Dark blue jeans protected her legs from the bitterly cold winter of Amity.

While amethyst eyes had a warm brown leather jacket that fit her nicely. She wore a dark rusty rose-colored scarf. Unlike blue eyes, however, she was wearing a pair of plain grey sweats that looked pretty comfortable in the harsh cold. Both girls were wearing military boots. Her hair limply brushed the length of her shoulders, her bangs pinned back with a simple white hair band that stood out against her inky hair.

 _Pretty cute boots if you ask me._

"Hey, it's you again." Her smile raised as she recognizes the familiar face. "Wow is that your sister? You two could almost be twins, well except for the eyes and lips. Wait a minute, you must be that Danielle girl. Are you two related?"

"We're cousins." Lilith rushed out, her eyes swiping to the side on her left. Without looking at the waitress, she introduced herself. "I'm Lilith." Izzy gave a gentle smile to her in recognition before moving her eyes to her sister.

"So table for two?"

"Yeah."

Izzy grabbed the menus from the front desk and, eying an open booth, motioned so they would follow her there.

She turned to Danielle as they walked. "Okay, little secret, I think you're awesome! I know your dad is the guy who saved the earth and everything, but there is only so much you can take of seeing his face being plastered on everything. Oh, and that cartoon they made of him was so unrealistic. Sometimes I think all that fame goes to his head."

Danielle lifted her hands in triumph, giving a small twirl. Lilith sent her an empty glare, but said nothing. "Thank you! Finally, someone gets it." She stuck her tongue out at her grumpy sister but decided against her better judgment to say anything, even out of jest.

They arrived at the worn cushioned booth nearest to the back of the diner and the girls took their seats. Izzy noted Lilith had kept on her winter scarf even while in the diner.

Lilith had become jittery the moment they had entered the diner and Danielle couldn't understand why. Maybe the idea of Dan was just getting to her.

Izzy looked at the crop top Danielle was wearing. She also noticed the scars on her back. She released a low whistle at the sight. "Now those look like they have one heck of a story."

It took a moment for Danielle to realize what Izzy was referring to. Once it dawned on her, her hand immediately flew to the location on the small of her back. A little bit of heat flooded her cheeks, but it didn't stay for long.

"Oh yeah, that was quite a fight. You should have seen my dad's face after my mom found out how I got it. Yeah, he was a little bit more responsible since then. I still feel a little weird wearing crops some days."

Izzy looked around for a moment and then lifted a small part of her blouse to reveal the shiny pink mark on the middle of her abdomen. Her voice was lowered as she whispered to the two, "Girls in school used to always make fun of me for it. You know what I did? I gave each and everyone a black eye twice the size of my scar. I'm not ashamed of how my body looks. To this day I still wear a two-piece at the beach and not a single person will convince me not to."

Danielle's toothy widespread grin was contagious; she could see the ends of her lips turn up, even if it was small. "Now that is some girl power."

Lilith gave a short nod in agreement. "So how's the shift going today, Izzy?"

Izzy's eyebrows shot up in surprise, an easy smile taking control of her mouth. "Wow, you must really like the food here if you remembered me after coming here only one time."

Lilith let out a little nervous laugh, gripping her left arm, hastily rubbing it as she fumbled for a plausible excuse. Her heart started to pick up; she always was a terrible liar. "Yeah, the food here is really great."

Danielle hobbled a few inches closer, obviously fretting. "Hey Lily, are you okay? You seem pale. I mean like mom wearing sunscreen white." Danielle gave a feather light touch to her sister's cheeks, checking for any signs of a fever.

Lilith quickly brushed the hand off of her. "I'm fine. Just thinking of someone back where I'm from."

Danielle did everything she could to get her to relax and take off her scarf, but nothing seemed to get her to budge.

Izzy noticed the bothered look on Lilith's face as Dani was playing with the loose strand on the end of Lilith's scarf, but decided against saying anything. Taking out her notepad and pen, she began, "So what can I get you to start off with?"

Lilith ordered first. "I'll start off with a hot chocolate with just a pinch of cinnamon added. Ooh and lots of whip cream." Her demeanor would always change when ordering cocoa. It would forever be her favorite drink.

Izzy looked to Dani.

Danielle quickly scanned the menu and found her choice within a second. "I'll take a strawberry shake, extra thick please." Both girls gave Danielle a pointed look, as if she was crazy for ordering that in late November. She just gave a boneless shrug of her shoulders. "What?"

Izzy beat Lilith to the question. "How can you drink that, it's freezing out!"

"Well, I happened to get a little bit more dad's genes than mom's. Plus, who know, with how crazy the weather's been lately, maybe it'll be eighty degrees when we leave."

Satisfied with that answer, Izzy jetted off, a skip in her step as she rushed to the kitchen. With nobody in hearing distance, Lilith leaned into Dani, motioning her to do the same, which she complied.

"I will _never_ understand how you are so much like dad more than mom."

Danielle raised her eyebrow, waiting for the younger halfa to realize. She watched on in amusement as it slowly dawned on her, her rosy pink lips parting in recognition.

"Oh yeah, a mad scientist obsessed with our father... "

A smug smirk sprawled on Danielle's face.

"Sorry."

Waving her off, they return to their normal sitting positions. "Eh, I got over it a while ago. But one thing I can't get over is why you are still wearing that scarf. I get it, it's cold outside, but it's like 80 degrees in here."

She just tilted her head slightly as she began to stir her cocoa. "It's just comfy, what can I say." But for the millionth time today, she could see that her sister didn't buy it.

"Yeah but you've been off ever since you came back. Like, I know that Dan is still out there but come on, we've dealt with him before and we're all still here."

Trying to come up with an excuse, she said,"I'm just a having a little bit off... Girl troubles."

That earned her a hearty laugh from Danielle as she threw her head back and pounded the table, earning a couple glances from the remaining customers from around. "Ah... Don't give me that crap. You have the same eyes as mom, plus you haven't had "girl troubles" since you've lived with us."

Izzy returned, a platter of their drinks in her hands. As she set the drinks on the table the whole building experienced a small tremor, which spilled a little bit of the hot chocolate on Lilith's scarf.

"Oh goodness, I'm so sorry. Are you okay?"

Reassuring her aunt, she gave her an even smile. "Yeah, it just got on my scarf. No burns, no worries." Untwining the scarf from her neck, Lilith placed it on the table.

Taking her washrag that was stuffed in her apron, Izzy began to wipe down the spot on the table that had been spilled. "I don't know what those quakes are but they seem to be happening more and more lately."

 _I know why. I just don't know how to stop it. Or him, rather._

Danielle took a sip of her shake, enjoying the deliciously sweetened flavor of fresh strawberries, when she noticed a mark on Lilith's neck. "Lily, did you get into a fight recently? Because if you did I hope you got in a few good hits to whoever gave you that."

Lilith seemed confused, then she realized what she was looking at. Grabbing the collar of her jacket, she adjusted it higher to hide the mark from view. "Yeah, just didn't pay attention in my last skirmish."

 _That's what you get for taking two minutes out of your time before coming back to 2010._

Izzy tilted her head as she looked at the mark on Lilith's neck. "Hate to call you out sweetie, but that's not from a fight. That's a hickey." Her hands went to her waist, and Lilith was reminded how much this woman was truly like her mother. Gulping down some more of her cocoa, she tried to hide the heat from her face.

"Wow, look at our Lilypad, not playing innocent for once. So who is he? Come on it has to be someone I know. or at least related. Come on sis, tell me who _is_ the lucky boy? I thought you came straight here after you were told that your mission wasn't complete? Seems like you made a pit stop." Ignoring her sisters teasing, she continued to sip on her drink.

Izzy placed her hand over her mouth as she let out a laugh that resembled that of a sick donkey. Yep, same old aunty Izzy. _She did bring Uncle joy though, and after seeing all of this, I can definitely see why he feels so strongly about protecting the people he loves._

Danielle smiled at Lilith with her most evil grin.

"What's so funny?" Lilith questioned, brushing her hair back that had fallen in her face. She wiped the upper part of her mouth for any unknown whip cream 'stash.

Danielle innocently shifted her gaze around the room, taking a sip of her own drink. Lilith could tell she was holding back laughter. "Nothing, I just know why you..." She was interrupted when they heard the bell ring as the door opened.

The bell above the door gave a jingle, letting everyone know a new customer arrived. "Hey, Jenny! You know my order. Tell Mike I'm in the mood for extra crunchy today." Dan lazily strolled over to Izzy, about to give her a hug when he noticed the two sitting at her table.

The heated staredown between the three went unnoticed by the waitress for the moment. "Hey, koala ass! How's your day going?"

Dan hesitated but only for a second when both Lilith and Danielle looked back to their drinks. He brought her in for a soft hug, always mindful of the baby growing inside, even if there wasn't an outward appearance yet. She started playing lightly with the ends of his hair; which made him slightly purr, but only for her to hear.

"Hey beautiful, how are you doing?"

She cuddled into his side for a moment. "Doing good, looks like we have one of our returning customers here. She even likes he cocoa the same way you have it. Small world, eh? By the way, what do you want to order for food?" They both gave her their small order of a turkey sandwich with hash browns on the side; grilled zucchini chips for Dani. Izzy jotted them down.

"Yeah," He looked directly at the two girls and with an evil grin continued. "It _is_ a very small world, especially when you live in this town."

Izzy returned to the back to place their orders and get ready for her break. Dan pulled up a chair at the end of their both, turning the worn out chair so the back of it faced them and he straddled the seat, very effectively blocking their exit.

"Hello, you two. It's been a little while hasn't it?"

Danielle's lips pulled back into a snarl. "Not long enough if you ask me."

"Yeah, there's that fire; you know you would have way more if you just let loose for a little while and raised some hell with your dear old uncle Dan." He gave a shifty grin that made Danielle almost leap from her seat and attack.

 _Uncle._

That word burned and swayed inside Lilith. Puke was stirring in her stomach.

 _Don't cry. Don't cry._

Danielle was now gripping her glass to the point that her knuckles turned white. "Think again, asshole!"

"Eh, it was worth a shot. I know that goody two shoes over here isn't gonna unleash the beast anytime soon, so how about you two do me a favor? I don't care if you tell mommy and daddy that you saw the big bad wolf today, but if anyone of you little heroes brings the fight here or around her, I will personally show you just how much I've been holding back against all of you."

Danielle let out a puff, rustling the straw in her drink. "Please, if you could kill us you would have already done so."

"Heh. Let me give you a lesson on my timeline's history." Dan unbuttoned the top of his shirt, a light pink scar lining a good portion of his chest. "You see this scar right here. This is from an authentic Japanese Kuni. A week after I got this little beauty the entire island of Japan was at the bottom of the ocean. So to be clear with you two, I just didn't want to make that big of a scene. Back in my timeline, it took nearly a decade to create the anti-ghost tech that they had there. Because you brats and your family are still alive, you guys have produced more inventions than rabbits produce kids."

Lilith jumped from her side of the booth, her voice ringing throughout their small area. "We would never hurt Izzy or Jack!" _Oops._

Confusion filled his face. "What the hell does he have to do with Izzy?"

At that moment, Izzy came striding out, jacket on, purse on her arm. "Dan I'm ready for my break! Another waitress should be out shortly with your order, girls."

Looking back to Izzy, he sweetly called out, "Just a moment, sweetcheeks!"

 _Yep._

 _Same old Dan._

 _No matter how hard he tries._

Looking back at the two his smile disappeared. "Do we have a deal?" His eyes narrowed, demanding that they meet his demands. His eyes flared electric green as a warning, and Lilith felt her heart thump in pride. His eyes were red before.

His humanity was breaking through.

There was a chance.

Inching closer to him, Danielle snarled out, "We don't hurt innocent people. We're not monsters like you! We will never be!" One hand still gripped the glass, while the other now had a hold of the table that sat between them.

Her words didn't phase him though. He kept a calm composure. "You know, it's kinda funny. I used to say the exact same thing to your father." Dan got up and walked up to the counter, but not before turning back to look Danielle directly in the eyes.

"Tell papa Vlad, I said hello."

 _Oh no, he did not just do that._

When she was sure she was out of Dan's view, Lilith marched up to Izzy as fast as she could before Dan has time to notice and whispered something in her ear.

"How the heck did you know I was..."

Lilith ran back to Danielle, grabbed her and rushed them out of the diner, bolting for home before Izzy could finish her sentence.

Once again by her side, Dan could see Izzy frozen in shock, her mouth wide agape. "Did those two say anything say to you?"

Izzy looked startled and confused when she told Dan what Lilith whispered.

"She said it's a boy.

She looked down to her stomach as she heard a strangled gasp from Dan, which she easily ignored, to caught up in the fact that someone already knew she was pregnant.

"Am I already showing?"

* * *

The room was dark when Dani and Lilith arrived in their bedroom. Looking to her sister, the only words Danielle could mutter out was, "What the hell did you just say to her?"

An innocent sadistic smile played on her face."I _may_ have given her a spoiler on one of her future events just to piss Dan off for being an A-hole." The squeal Danielle emitted brought out a laugh of her own.

Grabbing her in a hug, she whispered, "Thanks."

Pulling away from the hug, they settled on the bed. Just because Dan was her uncle did not mean Lilith would stand for he had said. Shrugging out of her outerwear, Danielle stretched to turn on the lamp beside her bed. "Okay and what now?"

That stumped the sixteen year old. She flopped backward, letting the firm mattress catch her as the question played in her head. "Well, I didn't know what Dan was going to do so I just sort of panicked. We should probably not tell mom and dad."

It was a suggestion, but after considering how their dad had reacted to knowing that Dan was still around, they both gave a nod in agreement not to say a word to their parents.

"What do we do now then?"

"Keep an eye on Dan, and as long as he's not doing anything harmful, it's not the worst thing ever. As long as he behaves, we'll be okay." _There is the problem of him causing nature react to his presence though. That's a big problem._

"Oh great now we get to play babysitter to a thirty-year-old man. And we gotta make sure dad doesn't go to that diner. I don't care if they fight and dad defeats him, whatever, but something tells me if we let dad anywhere near him around Izzy, they'll be hell to pay."

"Yeah pretty much."

* * *

"We need to run!"

"What did you do this time?"

The young man glanced nervously around, holding the door open for the red-headed woman. "Nothing of any importance. I may have just accidentally crossed the wrong wires while eating a meatball sub."

This caused her to jump from her seat, shrieking at the top of her lungs. "How do you cross the wrong wires over a _sub!"_

He raised his hands in defense, "It was a very good sub, okay?!" Now we have to make it up before the conductor automatically turns on!" He tried to grab her arms, but only caught air.

"How much time do we have before that happens?"

He pondered for a second only. "Oh, I'd say about a minute thirty seconds, if we're lucky."

That was enough for her. Jazz picked up the scrawny man and tossed him over her shoulder. Then she took off, down the steps of the dorm, sprinting at a speed that would rival that of her brother's.

"I can walk you know!"

"And have you trip over your untied shoelaces? I don't think so!"

The stairs blurred below him as she rushed out of the dorm. "How are you even this strong!?" With every step she took, he was rapidly hitting her back, the force of her running making him a limp noodle for the most part. He had to hold back from vomiting on her.

"Well, while you are hazardously shoving meatball subs in your gullet, I regularly hit the gym. I also have a ghost fighting hybrid brother. I have to keep my strength up somehow to protect him."

"Hey I can't help it; I get hungry late at night. All this inventing builds up an appetite. "

"Yeah, and that's why you also get the triple order of mozzarella sticks."

"I like fried battered cheese okay, sue me!"

They were about half a block away from the dorm when they heard the resounding blast. Looking back they saw a blue beam of light come from the top as the building collapsed in on itself.

Roy glanced at Jazz. "We are _so_ not getting our security deposit back."

Catching her breath Jazz muttered, "We're just lucky that nobody was there tonight." Laying on the concrete sideway, Jazz fully lets the air return to her breathless body.

Roy crouched down next to her. His breathing was much clearer than hers, seeing as he was carried out. "Why wasn't anyone there again?"

She cranked her neck sideways to get a better look at her boyfriend. "Free student movie night at the theater." The nighttime air was refreshing as it washed over her.

He nodded in understanding. "Ah yes, a college student's favorite word; free."

"Why do I love you again?"

He offered a shy smile. "Because I can read you like a book and get you chocolate. So that's something."

Rolling her eyes, she lifted herself off the ground, scooching closer to him. "You are such a dork. Eh, but you're my dork."

The sound of thunder boomed as the rain poured on their heads out in the open field. Jazz grabbed him by his graphic tee and pulled him in for what would be their first kiss. Well first kiss in the rain that is.

"So I'm guessing we won't be allowed back here for a while."

Pushing her pointer finger into his chest, she gave him a daring smile. "Lucky for you, I know just the people who have the best lab in all the Midwest."

The two looked at the blue beam that traveled far into the sky. It was hauntingly beautiful as they stood under the pouring clouds that covered the night sky. The utter beauty of the image only made one thing come to mind in the young man.

"Why the heck is it always raining?"

* * *

 **Poor Lilith, the pain she's struggling with knowing Dan is a good person, yet can't say anything. Also, Jazz apparently has meant someone, huh? Gott find out more about him next chapter. Shout out to my beta reader, Silenete Faery. Please read and review.**


	22. Chapter 21

**So, chapter 21! I can't wait for you guys to read. Without further ado. Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom, Nickelodeon does.**

* * *

The music blasted as the 2004 Chevrolet glided down the smooth pavement. The setting sun left a trail of dusty orange, with traces of rich purple splashed about. With the car windows rolled down, the wind was tangling in their hair, knotting it together, Jazz more than Roy since she was driving.

They belted out the lyrics, "They say, Brandy, you're a fine girl, Brandy fetch another round! She serves them whiskey and wine!" Their off-key voices reverberated in the small area of the front seat, but the laughter it brought was contagious for both of them. Roy was shaking wildly in his seat to the music, while Jazz kept moving her shoulders slightly when she could and bobbed her head along with the vibration.

Roy took over as Jazz paused to catch her breath; her face hurt from smiling so much, but the happiness was a welcoming feeling in her life. "The sailors say, 'Brandy! You're a fine girl! What a good wife you would be!'"

She joined him once more as the song came to a close. "But my wife, my lover, my lady is the sea!"

Both of them burst out laughing at the silliness of the situation. The breeze had begun to slow, and snow was taking its place as they entered the Midwest. Night had now fully taken over the sky.

Turning down the radio as to be able to have a decent hearing conversation, Jazz looked to her boyfriend, a wide stretched grin on her lips. "Who knew we both love classic pop?" That merited her a gentle smirk from the passenger beside her.

"Yeah, my dad really loved his oldies. Anywhere we would go the RV would turn into one big jam session."

Taking her unoccupied hand, he brought her hand to his lips, giving it a loving kiss. "Well, I think he did a great job raising such an amazing woman. Now if you don't mind, I'm going to sneak in the back and get to our snack cooler."

Shuffling between the front driver and passenger seat, and climbing for the console, he stuck his upper body in the back seat to get to the cooler. "You want anything to drink, sweetie? We have root beer, cola, and grape."

"I'll take a grape."

"Alrighty, one root beer for me and one grape for milady."

He grabbed the soda and started to scooch back to the front. Unfortunately, on his journey back, he made quite a few bumps as he climbed his way back. One incident was his butt making near contact with Jazz's face.

"Hey watch your butt. I need to focus on the road."

Settling back into the seat, he placed the ghost getter's drink into one of the soda dispensers under the radio for her to drink. He then opened his own drink and took one long slurp and sighed in happiness as it tickled his tongue. Giving her a once over, he presented her a toothy grin.

"Why, is the view too distracting for you?"

That earned him a sassy eye roll. "Oh yeah, your nonexistent butt is totally gonna make me crash."

"Well, it's gotten you into trouble before."

"Shut it and sit back down before I give you a break check. Then you _really_ won't have a butt."

Jazz looked at Roy with a slight smile as she eyes the familiar welcoming sign of her state.

"Welcome to Illinois, sweetie."

* * *

Izzy was a bit surprised that Dan did not show up for her break that day. It really wasn't like him to miss their lunch, especially since she told him about her pregnancy. He hadn't slept at her place for about a week now while he was gathering his stuff to move in.

While walking up the steps to her to her apartment, she thought to herself that she never really known him to be a materialistic kind of guy. How much could he have that would take him a week to get? After arriving at her door, she noticed it was open a crack and she could hear things crashing inside.

"Dan? Are you in there?"

 _Please be Dan, Hopefully, it's not Tony out for revenge._

The fear started to build at the idea that Jen's ex's wasn't like Jenny thought.

 _Don't be stupid, Jenny said he's gone. You're fine._

"Hold on a minute! Cujo no! You have to go-I'm not-Ugh!" He was struggling with something, or someone, and from the sound of it, he wasn't on the winning end. She quickened her pace as she heard Dan's plea. The moment she was in front of her door, she kicked it open.

"Dan, are you okay?!"

Izzy ran into the apartment, and to her utter joy and surprise saw a full grown green german shepherd laying on Dan's chest, licking his face non-stop. It had been obvious that Dan had been tackled to the ground by the overgrown pup and had yet to get free from his paws. Her hands automatically went to cover her mouth as she gasped in surprise at what was before her.

He looked at Izzy, his eyes giving a silent plea as the dog's tongue glided along the entire side of his face, completely coating it in slobber.

"Is that a green dog?"

"Maybe?"

Her eyebrows raised as she waited for his explanation.

"I may know a couple people, or in this case dog, in the ghost world, and this one was one of them. He just ruined the surprise I had for you." Looking at Cujo, Dan bared his fangs and red eyes at the ghost dog, making sure Izzy didn't see. This, however, did nothing but make Cujo lay on his back, legs spread in his goofiest and cutest position, making Dan roll his eyes.

Izzy sighed, but said nothing against the idea of the ghost dog. Strolling further into the apartment, she throws off her coat and purse, tossing them carelessly onto the maroon colored sofa. After sitting down, she noticed the rather big, unexpected changes.

Paper lanterns hung from the ceiling as well as authentic wall scrolls and even a katana. He repainted the walls to hold a soft creamy beige color. She noticed the windows were propped open to let the paint fumes air out. Warm red curtains now covered the high windows. A matching couch blended in well with the room. Sitting a few feet from the couch sat a brand new TV on the solid wooden stand; it was not the most expensive kind, but definitely an upgrade from her previous antique.

A tall bookshelf was nestled into a far corner off of the TV, already filled with many books— probably ones she had hidden in her closet because she had no place to really put it, nor did she have the funds— her heart leaped with joy at the sight.

The last thing she noticed was the matching set of relaxing chairs that set on the sides of the couch. It was such a beautiful sight along with the same colors of the room patterned into a large rug that sat evenly on the ground in front of the couch that stretched to the TV.

Izzy spun around in awe. This had to be a dream, a wonderful beautiful dream. One that she doesn't want to wake up from for a while. "Oh my gosh! This place is awesome! Where the heck did you get all this?"

Closing the few inches between them, he took her into his arms, placing a delicate kiss on her head."Told you I've been to Japan. I know a guy. Took about a week to ship it but it was worth it until someone"— He gave a pointed look at Cujo again— "decided to follow me home! Come on, I spend the whole day making the place all ninja central and you can't even be a freakin Shiba! Now get! I told you, I'm not _him!_ "

Pulling away from Dan, Izzy slowly lowered herself to the ground next to the dog, showing him that she was being gentle. "Wait, how do you exactly know this little guy?"

Rubbing the back of his neck in a nervous twitch, all Dan could come up with was, "Yeah, he used to belong to my... brother. We really don't get along and he's out of the picture, but apparently since I moved back he's picked up on my scent...Wait did you say small? He's huge!"

Izzy reached over to Cujo and scratched under his chin, and said in a sing-song voice, "Naw, you're just a little puppy, aren't you? Just a big puppy."

Cujo lifted his chin for easier access, receiving the pets in excitement. His tail started thumping against her carpet, the soft material hardly dampening the strong sound of his tail.

She took her seat back on the couch, tilting her head to the side in a sign for Dan to join, which he happily did, taking her into his arms. "Puppy... wow, we have a dog now don't we?"

"Shit, yeah we do. Now, you did awesome decorating this place. You and I deserve some rest after a long day of hard work. So, how about we get in bed, veg out for a while, and make some poor bastard climb four flights of stairs to bring our lazy butts some Chinese."

"Didn't we have Chinese just a little while ago?"

Cujo, being the cute ghost dog that he was, laid down next to them, curling into a comfortable ball for rest. "Yes, and you also got me pregnant a little while ago and I've got a craving so pick up the phone and get me my chicken."

"Crab Rangoon too?"

"Duh... Oh and make sure you get the caffeine free soda too."

With bellies full and nothing good on TV, the two fell asleep on the once spacious bed, now mainly occupied by Cujo who refused to change into a smaller size dog.

* * *

 _"Come on little Badger, let's have some fun."_

"And what kind of fun is that?" The recognizable annoying sound of Clockwork rung throughout the tiny cloud that boarded their prison.

Vlad turned on his feet, his eyes narrowed in harsh anger at the sight before him. Leave it to this guy to ruin his intended fun for the night. Clenching his fingers into the palm of his hands, he held back he held back on blasting him into oblivion. They were still in Dan's mind; nothing could happen in the confines of his head, no matter how much he wished it.

"Well would you look at that, I didn't know I had two roommates in here. Tell me, how did the mighty Clockwork manage to get absorbed the same as yours truly?"

He gave his signature smug smirk to his assigned roommate."I have work that needs to be done. I have no time for idle chat."

A bitter laugh shook his mouth. "The kind of work such as restoring a lost soul?" Vlad's red eyes mirrored that of the time ghost, examining him. A flash of doubt surged in his hard eyes. This was a game of wits, and both opponents were well versed in the game.

He didn't make any advancement towards Vlad, nor did he shift his body in warning. Staying still and keeping his entire body blank of any emotion was a trade he had learned long ago. He only needed his voice. That had enough power to inject fear into any being on the planet, living or otherwise. "Do not push your luck Plasmius; You are already holding on by just a thread. I suggest you play nice and do as you are told."

Even so, Vlad always wanted to win."You know something interesting... While I have little to no will of my own, I can still plant ideas into Dan's unconscious mind. Oh, he is strong but, even mighty bears are vulnerable while hibernating. I wonder what I could do with those powers he stole from you. You see, he is very wrong to think I am powerless. I have spent years trying to take over this body and now that you have split his mind into this yin and yang, good evil nonsense, it has finally given me what I need to start making my presence known again. What do you have to say Clockwork, knowing that you have made my return so easy!"

However, even Clockwork knew that his sarcastic side got the better of him at times. "So that bear metaphor, is that because you like tacky rugs or was that a football thing?"

"I absolutely hate you."

He tilted his head to the side, giving him an explanation of his own, all the while keeping the same appearance plastered on his face. "I know. Just as I know that you may have some fun for a while but you are just a shadow of what you used to be. You will not return. This isn't your story. Well, not yet, at least."

"Maybe not, but I did some looking in on you a while back and was working on something special. At the time I had no way to use it, but now that I have the power of the Master of Time at my disposal. I think I can finally take that trip I always wanted."

Turning his back to the annoying ghost that he had the displeasure of sharing the same space with, he focused on calling out to Dan. "Come little badger... It's time to wake up. I've won you a prize. Now, _wake up_!"

Awakening from another screaming memory, Dan looked around to see the moonlight peeking in from the ceiling. The bed he lay in felt strange, as if it had been rotting for years. The smell of mold and dust lingered in the stale air. Aged blood drenched a large portion of the cracked wall in front of him. Decay encompassed him, yet this place seemed familiar somehow. Deciding to walk around he kept experiencing this awful smell of .

He kept his footsteps light, worried that the slightest pressure from his steps might send him barreling through the weakened floorboards. "How the hell did I get here. This must be the ruins of Vlad's mansion. I know that the gardener quit but, shit!"

His heart started to race. His hands begun to shake. His head had begun to vibrate and swim with possible ideas of how and why had gotten to this place. He was supposed to be the most terrifying ghost in existence. He had long ago let fear be nothing but a mere memory of his former life, nothing more than a haunting image buried deep within the depths of his mind.

Yet here he was, shaking like a leaf in the wind.

He continued along the abandoned hall, mindful not to step in anything too unpleasant— blood was splattered almost everywhere on the old worn floor— until he saw the entrance to Vlad's old lab. He hated to admit that he sighed in relief at the sight of the dented, hardly recognizable portal... as long as it still worked, that's what concerned him.

"Let's see if the ghost portal is still operational. Then I can get a quick way back to Izzy."

Dan entered the lab to see a glowing green pool of liquid in the middle of the floor. He paused in his tracks, curiosity getting the better of him at the moment. He didn't move forward, but did let his eyes scan the liquid a bit more from the distance.

In a raspy voice, he heard a faint murmur. "I can smell him on you. You reek of him."

Ascending from the pool was a slim humanoid figure wearing a faded and torn black and white robe with its hood up, only showing its razor sharp teeth, burning white hair and a single glowing red eye. "Hello, brother."

Jumping back a few feet, he raised his arms in front of himself as a form of protection. This thing was downright terrifying. He could see the emptiness in her one eye, the hollow soul of nothing. Nothing that is, except hate. "What the hell are you?"

Her grin stretched further, almost breaking her jaw from what Dan could tell. It made his stomach twist in ways unimaginable. "I am his creation. I am his monster. I am his death. He tortured me. He made me scream. But now I _sing._ I sang as I ripped the ghost out of him and what I did with the rest of him..."

The being began to cackle with glee uncontrollably when thinking upon her deed. "But you, you reek of him as of I. Tell me, what did you do with yours. Did you finish the deed or were you not strong enough? You look like the hero, but I see it in your eyes, the same thing I see when I look into the mirror. Hollowness, emptiness. A hole that can never be filled except with blood. Let me join you brother. I have had my fun here. It is time for me to move on. I know you can help me."

Who, or rather, what was this thing?

Something told him he didn't want to find out.

"Please, I have run out of toys a long time ago and now it is just me. Now, this is all that remains. They tried to stop me, they all did, but they only destroyed themselves. No more ghosties, no more anyone. It left more than a mark. Ah yes, it did far more than anyone anticipated. Yet here I remain on what remains of my world."

Dan debated inside his head whether or not to venture further. The wide grin that showcased her sharp row of teeth rattled him to the bone. His lips became dry, and as hard as he tried, he couldn't open his mouth to revive them. His mouth was sealed shut, his limbs became ridged; in a second flat, he decided not to move, seeing as his feet were rooted to the floor. He somehow found the will to move his lips.

"What do you mean, all that remains?"

"They didn't like me too much. Then again, after you kill so many people the rest of the world tends to get a little upset with you. The tried locking me in the Ghost Zone but I slipped out. I know ways around such silly things. When they realized I could escape, they tried alternative measures. They created an explosive that would wipe out the Ghost Zone and everything in it. They thought I was there, but I just sat in Daddy's big shielded house and watched the fireworks."

The way she moved her lips, the way she spoke, the way she just floated there. It was completely unnatural. It was an abomination at best and it was not meant to see the light of day. Ever. Dan was willing to acknowledge that at that moment, he wasn't the scariest thing to walk the planet.

She broke through his thoughts, her disturbing crackle of a voice grazing the air in the room. "The Earth shattered apart like a fallen Christmas ornament. Luckily Daddy prepared for a lot of possibilities. He was always paranoid. Look where all that worrying got him in the end."

"What exactly are you?"

"I am nothing anymore, I was nothing, to begin with. All I am _is DNA."_

* * *

Dan bolted up waking Cujo— and Izzy— into his defense mode.

"What the hell was that thing?" As his breathing started to regulate, he grabbed at Izzy, pulling her closer to first listen to her heartbeat; it was something that he found always calmed the worst nightmares. Then he'd move to her stomach to listen for the faintest whisper of a heartbeat from their child. Ghost hearing did come in handy a lot of the time.

Her hands grazed his hair with a feather-light touch, another thing that soothed his racing heart and mind. What he did to deserve such an amazing human being, he'd never know. But he wasn't about to question it. "Dan, did you have another nightmare?"

"Yeah... I ugh. It was really weird."

She gave him a complacent smirk. "See, that's what you get for drinking booze in front of your pregnant girlfriend."

"Yeah, I suppose so. I am _never_ having sake ever again."

He fell asleep once again to the sound of the early morning news playing quietly in the background. Cujo cuddled between the two of them.

"In other news, has our hometown hero gone to the dark side? According to an eyewitness at last night's strand of violent robberies, the suspect has an eerie resemblance to our own Danny Phantom. While police are not one hundred percent certain of our hero going bad, one question remains. Who is this Danny lookalike, and are we safe?"

Opening her eyes, she was once again met with a familiar sight of Casper High School. Looking down at her own body, she saw the same gothic attire that she— or rather this person— had worn before.

 _Great, this again._

Snapping her head up, she found herself standing next to a row of small green lockers, hers— or she presumed it was the person's locker— was wide open with a few books displayed on the shelf. In front of her was yet again, Dan— or Danny Fenton, who the hell knew anymore— Was this going to be an ongoing thing? Maybe she needed to seek help.

Dan, for some unknown reason, was acting very strange. His head was dipped in a lovingly sick gaze, his lips were parted as drool started dribbling down his chin, some even hitting the floor. His gaze went past her, and honed in on someone entirely different.

Paulina Sanchez.

Wait, who?

How did she even know this person?

Dan snapped out of it. "Hey, did you see Paulina today, I think she must've done something different with her hair today?"His voice had its usual light tone to it, always young and never heavy, no matter how many years had passed.

Wait, Dan usually did have a rather husky voice.

What was going on?

Izzy didn't understand the aggression she feels towards this person, or the way that Dan looked at her. Even her words were heated with anger as she spits out, "What did rich daddy barbie do today? Buy a $200 bow made of animal tears?" Breaking their gaze, she shuffled the rest of her books out of her locker.

"Animal tears?"

Slamming her locker shut, she focused on putting the books into her school bag, careful not make any more eye contact. "I'm tired, okay! The point is, she's as shallow as they come."

"But look at her. Have you seen anything soo... soo..."

 _Oh to heck with this._

Something broke inside her. She completely lost control of her body's actions. Dropping her bag, she grabbed at his shirt, pulling him forward and crashing his lips onto hers.

He froze for a few seconds. Completely still. His eyes were weaved with shock. His entire body was fixed as he stumbled for a few minutes; his lips were gasping for words, but no sound came out. It was almost like a fish out of water, which would've made Izzy laugh, if it hadn't been for the simple fact that he wasn't responding really to the fact that she had just kissed him.

She whirled around as humiliation immersed her; as she realized what had just conspired, the heat radiated throughout her. She almost stormed off when a firm hand gripped her wrist. Being twirled around, she saw a tone of seriousness that lay deep within his azure eyes.

She was so taken aback that it took a moment to register his unusual throaty gravel of a voice trying to break through. However, once it did, it only brought her heartbeat up to a very fast tempo that she was sure would outrival his speed. This wasn't how he usually sounded.

Only, it was. To her at least.

"You know, she is really isn't my type."

Unbeknownst to her, she somehow managed to speak through the beat pounding on her ears.

"Oh so clueless has a type now. What is it, breathing?"

Wiping away the purple lipstick from his lips, he just smiled and said, "Well, I was thinking pale, dark, and vegan now." He grabbed at her waist, pulling her back to him, and leaving no space in between.

"One step closer to not being clueless."

* * *

Valerie swayed to the music as she held her two-month-old baby brother in her arms. The house had a warm feeling to it as the music filled the halls. A pot of mac 'n cheese sat on the stove. Even though they weren't poor anymore, Val and her dad always did like the simple things when it came to meals.

"Hey, little guy. Are you finally getting tired?"

The infant gave a big stretch as he let out a little coo.

"Come on little one. Time for you to go to bed for a while." Carrying her younger brother, she made her way to the nursery when she heard the doorbell ring. "Who could that be at seven in the morning?"

After setting the infant down in his crib she rushed to the front door, taking steps two at a time, but also keeping light on her toes as to not wake the baby.

"Hold on a minute!"

Opening the door she saw Jazz standing there with a strange slim man. His fawn hair was tinted with a few strands of red that could only have been seen in direct sunlight, which was cut perfectly. His rather large nose somehow sat proportionally on his wide face. He had a very light shade to his completion that just fit him so nicely. But the thing that pulled everything together and made him downright handsome were his eyes.

He had striking, tender amber eyes with flecks of brown that seemed to sway closer to the center of the iris.

Letting her shoulders slumped against the doorframe, she heaved a long, exhausted sigh. "Jazz... It's ugh. I didn't expect to see you here for a while, with you being in college and well... to be honest, after what I did."

Jazz moved over the threshold, and placed her hands on the huntress' upper arms. "Listen, I know just as well as everyone else that you did what you had to for your family. Dan gave you no choice, and we can't exactly blame you for that."

Her eyes immediately hardened. "Yeah but I still blame myself. I mean, I made that choice."

"Sometimes in life, there are only hard choices but you still have to choose. If you did nothing you could have endangered everyone's lives. You did the best you could for the situation. It might take some time, but I'm sure everyone feels the same way."

That softened her, if not a tiny bit. "Thanks, Jazz. So who is skinny over there?" Her eyes squinted at the man that stood quietly behind Jazz, taking in the entire conversation, but not making any judgment.

Taking a few paces back, she brought the unnamed guy forward. His fingers started to twitch as nerves started to swell. Valerie tried to give a pleasant smile, in hopes to show she meant no harm. "Well, that's one of the reasons I came here. I'm moving back in with my parents for a bit, and I kinda wanted to get your opinion on how to introduce him. He's my boyfriend."

Valerie gave an abrupt nod. "Well, unless your family has a suit that can make him invisible, I'd say just be honest with them. You _are_ an adult."

Jazz's chest rose and fell as she took a breath."I know, but Dad gets so defensive when I'm with a guy."

"Easy, just have skinny boy give him some fudge."

"You guys do realize that I'm right here and can hear everything you're saying, right? And my name is Roy. Roy Edwards."

They both ignored him.

"Yeah, that might actually work. Thanks, Val."

* * *

"Dan, are you okay? I mean I understand if you are nervous but come on, this is _supposed_ to be a happy occasion."

Izzy covered his hand with her own. The waiting room they sat in was nearly deserted. The buzz of a phone from the front desk broke the silence every now and then, but otherwise, the only sound was from the air conditioner blowing out cold air. The fluorescent lighting was bright enough to blind them, but they focused on reading magazines.

Removing his hand from her grip, he put his hand over her unnoticeable belly. "I _am_ happy, sweetie." _Aww, sweetie, you're really becoming a sap, aren't you boy?_ "I just, I just feel like I'm being watched. I can't shake it."

Moving from her chair, she somehow managed to scootch herself into the same seat as Dan, despite his rather large sized, laying her head on his shoulder. "You're just being silly."

The door that led to the examining room swung open and a woman in blue scrubs stepped out, clipboard in her hand. "Izzy!? We're ready for you!"

"Come on you big lug."

They shuffled to the door, each step echoed in his ears. Strolling lazily down a long hallway, Dan couldn't help but cast a few glances over his shoulder. His stomach did a few flops as the large wooden door they just passed through stayed open with no support. "Does that door usually stay open that long?"

The nurse took a quick glimpse and shrugged her shoulders at the sight of the still opened door. "No, it must just be stuck on the carpet or something like that."

After a while, once Izzy is settled on the examining bed, shirt lifted; Dan could see the very small pudge that had begun to take form on her stomach. The machine was soon warmed up and Izzy looked at Dan, giggling when they put the cold jelly on her tummy and started to spread it about.

Seeing the worried look, Izzy held out her hands for Dan to grab, which he happily obliged. "Baby, relax. You're about to see our son in a moment and I don't want his dad stressed out."

The nurse looked to the couple, as she pushed some buttons on the machine."You ready?"

"Yes."

Izzy looked at the monitor with wide eyes. "Oh my gosh, is that him?"

"Eh, You mean her."

Izzy playfully slapped his hand. "Shush, I know my child."

After looking around one last time, Dan finally gave his full attention to the screen as a tear fell down his face. That was his child, their child. Their family. For once in the past ten years, he was thanking Clockwork, the universe, whatever, for this. For this gift. "It's a little bean. That's our little bean."

The nurse kept her eyes locked on the screen as it reflected off of her thin-rimmed glasses. "Alright, looks like everything is going as it should and you are in perfect health. You're at twelve weeks, and the baby is weighing in at fifty ounces, 2.16 inches. I'll print up your images and give them right to you. I hope you two have a good day."

When the doctor left, Dan looked to Izzy as she stumbled to her feet, grabbing her coat, which he held out for her as she put her arms through. She's a step away from the door when he called out, "Go on sweetie, I'll meet up with you in the waiting room."

Looking back at him with concern, she asked, "Everything okay?"

"Yeah, I just need a moment to myself." With that, Izzy traveled back to the waiting room, leaving Dan in an empty room. He stood noiseless, letting his muscles relaxed.

"You can't keep doing this. I told you before, I am not what you want me to be and I will end up hurting you. You can't save me."

Out of nowhere, a shroud lifted to reveal Maddie's face etched with a sad smile."You can't blame a mother for trying."

The air was thick around them as he let out a low sigh."I tried killing you and everyone you love. Jazz, Danny, Jack. Why do you still follow me?"

She took a cautious step forward, while in sync, he took one back."Because any member of our family would gladly give their life for each other. You forgot that, but I'm not going to stop until you remember the amazing young man I know and love. If that means laying down my life in the process, then so be it. You are worth it and so is your family."

"You're going to die disappointed then." His voice melted with a harsh cry, whether he was trying to convince her or himself, he didn't know.

"Disappointed, no. Sad that you don't remember who you truly are, maybe. But I'm not going to stop."

Dan was about to turn around, walk out that door, completely ignore her and forget this conversation ever happened, when something in the back of his head told him to stop. Which for some reason, he listened. When he looked back at Maddie he saw the hope, the strength she held, and the will to do anything to get her baby boy back. Only if he could be that baby boy for her. Only if he could be that person for himself. He would at least try, for Izzy.

"Sometimes I wish you were right. But I made that choice long ago. Now I have to make the most of it."

* * *

 **Babies. Such cuteness. Let me know what your thoughts. Shoutout to my beta reader, silente faery**


	23. Chapter 22

**Chapter 22! I hope you guys enjoy. In this chapter, We deal slightly with the concept of the afterlife and a higher being. We do not mean to offend anyone by our portrayal and we write this only as a work of fiction. As always please enjoy**

* * *

 _Please still be here._

Looking inside, Sam could see Maddie, Jack, and Jazz huddled around the small table that Nasty Burger had provided, all with solemn expressions. Sam bursted through the door as quickly as she could.

From the sound of it, she was already too late; Lancer told Mr. and Mrs. Fenton that Danny had cheated. But they didn't understand, no one really did except her and Tucker.

With a sad sigh, Maddie said, "Thank you for bringing this to my attention, Mr. Lancer. I'm not sure exactly how he was able to steal the answers to the test, but if what you say is true that would explain his unusually high score."

Sam stood in shocked as she read the utter disappointment ablaze in Maddie's eyes, tears brimming at the edge. The emptiness is her voice was shattering to the goths eardrums. Her lips were trembling in small waves, as well as her hands that kept in front of her, on the table interlocked. She tried to hold firm in the conversation, but the sound of voice breaking couldn't be quiet. "I just can't believe our Danny would do something like this. We always raised him never to cheat. Maybe we've been putting too much pressure on him."

Jack had his elbows rested on the table, his whole face was still, his eyes trained on the teacher. No emotion as his lips stayed still in an even line, his body was rigid with pressure. "Maybe, but I don't know why he didn't just come to us. We're his parents, we love him and he should know that he can come to us with anything."

The tension that floated around the area that they occupied was thick beyond comhernshion. Lancer's eyes was crowded with concerned for Danny. It settled on everyone's shoulders and refused to let go.

Not being able to hold back anymore, Sam hurried over to the table, out of breath from their running across town to get to the burger joint in the first place. She was bent at the waist as they tried to gulp the air back into their bodies, her chest in sync with the beats that pounded in her ears. "Mr. and Mrs. Fenton, Danny has-"

Lancer, however, disrupted Sam's attempt at an explanation."It's alright Ms. Manson, they already know of the situation."

Tucker entered the restaurant, panting from the mere act of running. He wasn't in the best of shape; for him to trail right behind Sam, he had to be pushing himself. "Sam! What are you doing?!"

"Tucker, I'm tired of Danny feeling this way! He may be too thick-skulled to tell them, but I'm not! Now because he's so stressed, he cheated on his test. The Danny _I_ know would never do something like that."

Lancer gave her a sharp look. "Ms. Manson, what are you referring to?"

Sam once again rushed, trying to get the words out before they jumped to conclusions. "Mr. and Mrs. Fenton. I'm sorry, but Tucker and I have been keeping something about Danny secret from you for a long time. You see, the reason for his odd behavior lately is because he's actually Danny Ph-"

Tucker held a hand up to halt Sam from speaking. "Hold on a minute. Does anyone else hear beeping?"

Jack took a deep whiff of the air, from the depths of his stomach to get a good sniff. "Yeah, and what is that wonderful smell." At the mention of food, and amazing smell of oil lingering through the air, the tension started to dissipate little by little.

As everyone looked around, Sam made sure to avoid eye contact with anyone in the room. She was about to tell some of the people closest to her that she had been lying to them for a long time. The guilt started to crawl onto her shoulders, making every bone in her body start to compress with a stretching tight pressure. How could she do that to her best friend?

Tucker couldn't believe she was going to give away Danny secret, one that was not hers to tell. But it was for the better. Looking out the window, she could see Danny sailing toward them in the distance. His feet hit the pavement in rapid sessions as he tried his best to reach the restaurant. _I'm sorry Danny. Please forgive me._

"Mr. Lancer, please, this is important-"

* * *

Then in an instant, everything became white. Another instant, black.

"Danny!" She wept as her cries resounded in the empty void. As her tears fell, each one hit the ground, transforming into the most beautiful colors she had ever seen. Soon the void was no longer black but filled with amazingly vibrant colors that sang a beautifully haunting song that did its best to give her comfort.

"Why do you cry, my child?"

The voice filled the colorful void, coming from all directions; no matter how hard she tried, Sam could not pinpoint its exact location. It held authority yet was kind. It felt like a stranger she had known her entire life. It soothed her in a way, yet her heart still longed for Danny.

"I just wanted my Danny back! I just wanted him to happy again."

The soft voice echoed in her mind once more. "How much do you love him?"

"What?"

There's laughter in his tone as he continued. "It's okay Samantha, for your entire life you have been a gentle soul. You have never wanted harm to befall any other being and have used violence only when necessary. You have no need to hide your feelings here. You are safe."

She fell to her knees, sobbing into her hands as the pain of losing the one person that she truly cared about radiate throughout her body. Her tears shuddered her entire body. "I love him more than life itself. I always have. I always will. Why, why does it matter?"

"Do you know why you are here right now. People have it confused most of the time. They think that if they do good things they get to see paradise. So they do all they can to look good while deep down they hate the sacrifices they make to better the world they live in. They are not good for the sake of good. Their actions are tainted by their selfish desires and they do not act out of love and faith.

"You, my dear creation, have always done your best to better the world that you're in. You are definitely not perfect, far from it. No one is. But, no matter how much people were angered, you still pushed on. It was never out of selfish desire, it was never to get to paradise. In the end, no all you wanted-"

She finished his sentence. "Was to make a paradise on Earth."

Without being able to see anything, Sam could feel a tender smile fall on her.

"That is what I always wanted. But plans change. Just as they are right now if you so choose."

"What do you mean?"

"I can give you another chance to be with him. But know this. It will not be easy. You will struggle and you will go through many hardships, but if you do choose this you can see him again."

Looking at the colored void above her, she begged once more, "Please, I'll do anything to see him again. But why are you willing to do this? I understand, I've been a good person, but is there another reason?"

The smile wrapped her in a gracious glow around her fatigued figure. It was definitely a welcoming feeling. "Nothing that you won't figure out on your own, I will see you again, my child. Do not waste your life, for you are truly loved."

* * *

Izzy woke, almost tumbling from the bed, shaken, as her stomach began to churn in anger. Everything hit her at once, like a bucket of cold iced water being thrown all over her.

Danny.

Ghost powers.

Cheating.

Nasty Burger.

Dying.

"Oh my gosh. I remember now. Danny, I remember!" She rolled over to face him, expecting him to be jostled awake from her stirring around in the bed. But what she didn't expect is when she saw his side of the bed was empty. Even Cujo was gone.

"Danny?"

* * *

He could see them off in the distance. All sitting across from Mr. Lancer. As he got closer he could see, Sam was standing at the end of the table along with Tucker, looking out the window directly at him. Looking at him for the first time with the look of shame in her eyes.

His feet were begging to ache, but he pushed forward; he needed to get there as fast as his legs would carry him. The wind was brushing through his hair, his clothing rustled through the light breeze that whipped way past. Speeding down the pavement, all he could mutter was, "I'm sorry Sam! I went too far this time! I'm so-"

However, before he could make it to the restaurant, a wave of heat knocked him back as his feet left the ground, as his body made impact on the gravel, causing rubble and as dirt began to skit around his body, his vision became clouded.

"I went too far this time. I'm sorry, Sam."

* * *

Dan opened his eyes only to be blinded by flashing blue and red lights completely surrounding him. His heart instantly dropped to his stomach. How had he gotten here? What was happening? Where was Izzy? So many questions ran through his head, but no plausible answer rang through.

With a firearm pointed straight at him, the cop yelled once more, "Stop where you are. This is your last warning. If you do not comply, we _will_ open fire!"

Bringing his fist to his face, Dan clenched his fist several times, trying to get a better grasp of what was happening. Maybe he was still dreaming. "What the hell is going on? Why am I in my ghost form?"

However, Dan knew this wasn't a dream, only a nightmare, one where he was actually awake. The policeman repeated his earlier warning, his voice slightly shaky now, the trembling in his fingers made the gun start to shake in little waves as well. "Stop right now!"

 _What's a matter little badger? I was just having some fun while you were out._

Oh.

Oh no.

Vlad.

Dan knew he probably sounded like a crazy lunatic, but the anger consumed him, drowning out any rational reasoning. "I was asleep you bastard! How can you even do this?"

Vlad ignored him and somehow took control of his body. _Aim!_

Dan bolted forward without any control of his own and grabbed the tip of the gun's barrel, pausing as Vlad lets his actions seep into Dan's mind. He was going to let Dan be fully conscious as he forced him to do his bidding. As to what that was, he wasn't sure in the exact second, but his heart started to pound in his ears at the thought of what was about to happen. Vlad wanted him to feel what was about to come.

"The real question you need to ask is this: Have you ever heard the sound of one hand clap?"

The officer in front of Dan was hardened in fear. Dan looked at his hand as he tried to ripped the gun away from him—which wasn't working, seeing as his body wouldn't listen to the commands he was trying to give—when he noticed that his ghost form had started to recede up his arm. "Why can't I move my arm? _Vlad!"_

"Funny thing is, I don't know the sound either. Let's find out together."

It took a second. A second for everything to go to shit.

 _Fire!_

The loud bang almost made Dan's ears bleed as he screamed out in excruciating pain. He staggered backward as he tried to regain his center. _"You bastard!"_

 _Oh, don't be so dramatic Daniel, you always were a righty anyway._

He grabs at the air where his arm used to be. Kneeling to the ground, he did his best to keep his screams at bay. It was hard at first, but he eventually said through clenched teeth, "I can't feel the bottom half of my arm!"

 _That might be because it now resides all over Amity's finest. Oh, the dry cleaning is going to be so expensive_. The whole police squad stared on in silence, none of them knew how to make move when the person was a ghost, but they had to do something, so with unsteady hands, Dan watched in horror as a few other's raised their guns.

 _"Shut up!"_

Dan emitted his ghostly wail pushing the officers back just enough for him to make his escape. Taking off into the midnight colored sky, he flew back to Izzy's apartment as fast as he could, holding on to his stump of an arm for dear life to try and stop the bleeding.

He enters through her balcony and crashed on the bed, jolting the stillness of the mattress.

"This better work." He moves his right hand over the bloody stump as is starts to glow. Dan once again screamed in pain, clenching both his mouth and eyes shut as his hand starts to reform starting from the bare bones. Layer after layer of muscle starts to wrap itself around the thin bone, encasing it with sickly maroon fibers.

"Danny, are you okay!?" Izzy screamed out from the bathroom, but Dan was unable to hear her over his own screaming. All he could see was pure red.

He wouldn't wish this on anyone.

Not even Danny.

"Dan!" Izzy ran out of the bathroom to see the muscle form around Dan's regenerating hand. A purple stream left Dan's mouth when she entered the room, but for the moment, even though the pain, he thought aloud, "It's never been that color before."

Slowly, the pain started to diminish; his breathing started to even out, and the feeling of perspiration all over started to take precedence. He turned around to see Izzy looking directly into his eyes. The pain had gone numb.

He gave her a timid smile as she looked on in horror, with her mouth agape, her jaw almost to the floor. That had to be painful; he was waiting for the bottom half to fall off. Her eyes widened, almost stretching across her entire upper face. He would never describe her eyes as big, but they were at that moment.

"I have a lot to explain, don't I?"

* * *

"Come on Skulker! Today is not your day, I guarantee it."

"Oh, I'm so afraid of Danny's little pet." Skulker said, looking at the now older halfa ghost, she stood with confidence, but he could see the stir of fear in her eyes that started to break her. She was alone, and he just got an upgrade that he had been to try out. His mouth widens in a sinister smile.

Even with the fear crackling in her eyes, the halfa tried to remain her cool, however, she would always be sassy, even at the worst moments. Sometimes her parents would say that would be her downfall."I'm gonna make you eat those words, pipsqueak!"

 _"Don't call me small!_ I'll rip you apart do you understand me, welp! I will... Ugh."

A thin green beam passed through Skulker's armor, making it fall to pieces, exposing the puny ghost inside causing the ghost to scream as it fell to the ground. Danielle whipped around to see Dan standing there with a smug smirk on his face.

"Asshole! I called dibs!"

The older halfa repressed an eye roll. "He was monologuing! You know I hate that shit!"

Crossing her arms over her chest, Danielle gave a childish frown, sticking her tongue out in the process. "Yeah, but you didn't have to end it so fast. I need to work off this winter weight somehow. Unlike some people, I try to stay true to my new year's resolution, and 2014 is going to be the year I show off my hot mom body and make all the boys at the beach jealous of my man."

Dan bent over, shoving his finger down his throat as if to gag. "First off, you forget I'm technically your father from another timeline. So gross. Second, that at one point was my best friend so, really fucking gross."

She gave a shrug in reply. "Can't be as weird as Jazz and Roy."

Marching over to where Skulker had fallen, Dan picked up the tiny bean of a ghost, and stuffed him in the thermos to later dispose of him into the Ghost Zone. He placed the container on a nearby lab table and turned back to his niece. "Jazz has the decency to not share such details of her life."

"Hey, leave our niece alone." They both turned at the new voice, to see Izzy standing there, a stroller before her and two kids tucked away inside. "If she wants to show off, I say let her. Tuck is a lucky man and he deserves to know."

Strolling his way over to his wife and children, he pulled Jack from the stroller as his sister still slept, hoisting the child around his waist. "I hope you know that I could not be less turned on right now."

Danielle walked over, quietly grabbing the sleeping child from the stroller and headed to the stairs and up to the kitchen, and presumably upstairs to the third level of Fenton Works to put her in the guest room where a crib was set up if either child ever needed a nap.

Setting the stroller off to the side, Izzy moved to stand in front of the father-son duo, giving a quick tickle to the toddler's stomach. She tapped Dan on the nose, letting sarcasm seeping through her voice as she gave a dramatic sigh. "Oh no, now how will I live, knowing that you won't knock me up for the third time."

"You love our kids, as do I. So don't give me that crap."

Her golden honey eyes narrowed in a daring sense that made Dan turn almost sheepish. "I had morning sickness and timeline dysplasia at the same time! Do you know what that feels like? No! So you can shut it and keep it in your pants!"

"Lily! What are you up to?"

Jumping ten feet in the air by the sudden interruption, she scanned the attic to make sure no one had snuck their way up without her noticing. She just needed to have a moment alone from her family.

Opening the hatch that had lead up to the dusty hideaway, Lilith tried to cough away the tightness in her throat and blink away a few tears that had started to form. She raised her voice as to be heard.

"Just looking at some old family movies... ish."

Her mom's' voice carried through once more. "Well come on down, we're having Mexican and we got your favorite!"

"Be right there!"

Lilith closed her medallion, making the projection that she had been watching from the year 2014 between Dan and her sister disappear. She needed that, a reminder of sorts that her uncle was still in there somewhere, the person that loved her unconditionally. He was a good person. It really hurt though every time they encountered each other and Lilith wasn't sure how much more she could handle it.

"How was he ever so evil?"

* * *

"Mom, Dad, and rest of family, I would like to introduce you to my boyfriend, Roy Edwards..."

The skinny man hobbled about for a moment, strain set on his face. "I brought fudge." He stuck out his arms, producing the small white container filled the delicious chocolate brown sweets.

Jack's eyes lit up with glee, before he skipped over to the boy and hastily grabbed the item. "He's good in my book."

"Anyone want to go out for a milkshake after dinner, my treat?"

Danny and Tucker looked at each other. With smiles stretched wide on their faces, simultaneously said, "He's cool in our books too!" with exact timing.

Out of nowhere, Danielle chimed in. "Have you two made out yet?"

"Danielle Jane Fenton!"

"What, I'm curious! Jeez, ground me why don't you!" The look that her parents gave made her shrink slightly behind Tucker, but she kept the relaxed grin on her face. "But please, really, don't ground me."

Pulling her out from behind him, Tucker, securely wrapped his arm around her waist. "Sweetie, I know we're open like that but-"

She waved off her boyfriends' defense. "I'm just messing with you. Welcome to the family poindexter. I hope you like weird. 'Cause that's pretty much what this family consists of."

He gave a more confident nod. "It's okay. I'm pretty used to weird by now."

With the pleasantries and awkward over with, Maddie guided everyone into the living room, and after asking if he wanted a beverage or anything and him saying he already had something to drink on the way to Fenton Works, Maddie invited Roy to take a seat.

"So how did you two meet?" She asked.

Jazz interjected. "Well, I needed to choose a minor and there he was working on the experimental suit of high tech armor. I talked with him for a little while and I decided to minor in advanced robotics."

A gentle smile lay on Maddie's lips. "Well, as long as you two make each other happy, I say more power to you!"

"Oh, crud." All eyes snapped to Lilith. "I forgot, I have somewhere to be." She leapt from the couch, turning to Danielle first, and planted a kiss on her forehead. She then went to Jazz and copied the movement. With that, she phazed through the door and took flight into the air.

Normal conversation resumed as everyone bombarded him with questions, which Roy sweetly, albeit, a little nervous, answered to the best of his abilities.

Maddie eyed him up and down. There was something about him that just seemed so...

* * *

 _So... This is familiar. At least it's not like the first time where his pants accidentally phased off in front of me, well it was in front of Pulina, but I was still there when it happened. Then again, I'm not sure how accidental that was. He's just staring at me. I should probably say something._

 _But what?_

 _Am I supposed to be mad?_

 _I mean, he keeps this secret from everyone to keep them safe. It's not like I don't know but still, finding out about this sort of thing would cause a fight in a normal relationship._

 _But I don't want that. Especially with Danny._

 _I hope he's okay._

"Izzy... are you there?"

She snapped to attention."Yes... And I want to know exactly how you did that hand thingy..." And okay, the foot stomp, along with pointing her finger in a downward motion as if to tell a child to get their butt over there was unnecessary, but she couldn't bring herself to care.

 _Gosh, I suck at this._

"Okay, I need to tell you my secret. I'm not like you." She had to resist rolling her eyes. _Really Danny? That's the best you got? That had to be the cheesiest line ever._ "I'm actually half ghost."

 _Wow... I'm so shocked. It's not like I was there the day that it happened._ Trying her hardest to make a shocked expression, and failing at it, Izzy said, "Wow! How did this even happen? Are you like that ghost kid? Kinda weird that you two have the same name and have powers."

 _I hate playing dumb._

She took a deep breath, trying to relax her agitated nerves.

 _Don't roll your eyes, don't roll your eyes._

Dan gave a fatigued chuckle when being compared to Danny. "Not exactly, when I was younger there was this accident and because of it, I have these powers... Wait you're taking this way better than I thought."

 _Well, yeah that's what happens when you've read the book before the movie._

Izzy knew it was best not tell him that she who she was exactly, because with all that was happening at the moment, she didn't want to overload him. It was probably just best to keep it to herself for the time being. She'd get around to telling him. Eventually.

"Well, in a world where asteroids pass through the planet, you kinda get used to things being a little strange. I just wish you would have told me sooner. I mean, I _am_ carrying our child after all. You can tell me things. That would also explain you getting your ass kicked so much."

 _Seems like not everything about Danny changed. Yet he's so different from what I remember. What exactly happened to him after the explosion that made him this way?_

She could see the worry flash across his face and Izzy's heart skipped a beat at the shy expression. "So you're... okay with this?"

Stepping within reaching distance, Izzy cupped his cheek, happy when he responded by tilting his head into her palm. "Well, I do want you to be honest with me from now on, but overall, I have no problem with a superpowered baby daddy."

He gave a small chuckle. "I never thought of it that way." Dan moved back, making her hand drop as the pain in his arm started to ripple its way back up his arm. He stumbled to the floor, clutching at the arm as the first layer of plushy red skin started to cover his arm. "Ugh... This does not feel good. Something's off."

Dan looked at his arm to see the glowing gold light had completely hidden the newly regenerated arm. He released the glow to reveal that his arm starting from where it had been blown off, was now covered entirely in scar tissue.

"What the heck happened. Don't you... I...I don't know, heal faster? I mean, I'm no expert in ghost thingies, but that's always been a common thing to be known in our world."

With his teeth clenched, he gritted out, "Usually yeah, but I have a feeling there is something messing with my powers. I'm not exactly used to these new powers."

"Maybe you need someone who is."

Izzy and Dan both looked at the balcony to see a young woman with long white hair, wearing the logo of Team Phantom. A worried look was splashed on her pale face as she stood completely still; the only thing that broke her stance was the wind that lightly brushed her hair and clothes around.

"Lilith? What are you doing here?"

Ignoring Izzy's question, her gaze locked onto Dan's as he scowled at her like a wounded animal.

"I wanna join you."

* * *

 **So, Izzy is Sam reincarnated basically. She gets a second chance with Dan! Who saw that coming? Well, I did, but that's besides the point. Also, Lilith wants to join Dan!? What the heck is going on with that? Okay, enough of me rambling. Please review if you would. Lots of love! Shoutout to my beta reader, silente faery**


	24. Chapter 23

**Ch. 23. Please enjoy! Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom, Nickelodeon does.**

* * *

"What the hell do you mean, you want to join me?"

Lilith shifted her eyes to her aunt, as awkwardness filled the air. "Izzy, can we have a moment?"

She did as asked and shuffled off to the balcony and waited for their little "secret" meeting to end.

Standing a few paces away from Dan to show she wasn't a threat, Lilith raised her hands to show she didn't have any evil intent behind showing up."When we met at the diner the other day, I realized that this isn't going to end well. We keep running into each other again and again and it always ends up in a stalemate. But one day it won't."

Dan sent a warning glare at her; his body was in a slight curl, his good hand was balled into a first, his teeth pressed together tightly as if ready to pounce on her at the slightest movement that she made. Lilith knew his mind was on Izzy at this point because his eyes went to the balcony every few seconds and if he had to protect her or himself, Lilith knew it would be no competition; Izzy always came first to him.

Taking a deep breath through her nose, the younger halfa tried her best to continue on. "While I'm more than willing to accept the consequences, there are people we both love" - Lilith glanced at Izzy as her back was turned to them, her head directed up the night sky - "that shouldn't have to pay the price for our feud. I don't want her or the baby to get hurt, and for all that evil you try so hard to show, I know you don't either."

Dan now stood, motionless. His stance loosened. He stared at her, eyes hallowed. His shoulders still held a small amount of tautness, but nothing like it had been just a few seconds ago.

Her feet moved without command a few steps towards her uncle, arms stretched slightly out in front of her in a peace offering gesture. "I'm not here to make threats and I know I can't stop them, but I can mislead them. I can keep them off your trail and give you time to get out of here and make a new home someplace else."

Shifting his weight to his left leg, Dan brought his good arm up, and gave it a slight scratch. Lilith knew at that moment as his sapphire eyes locked onto hers, he was masking the worry and pain he buried so many years ago.

"Where the hell would I go, Chicago? I don't have a life here outside of this place, outside of Izzy. I wanted to get my timeline back at first, but now I just want to live my life and I can't live it with Danny alive."

She tried to bite back the anger that flared up, she really did. But as everyone always told her, she had her mom's temper. "What are you talking about? If you just left him alone he wouldn't care. This petty timeline bullshit is getting out of hand. You said it yourself: you don't even want your timeline back anymore! So why the hell do you still want to kill him!"

 _"To protect them!"_

Stumbling backward from the pure shock of his words, the back of Lilith's knees made contact with that of the bed. She didn't even notice as her body falls to the bed, curling to the shape of her bottom. Her body flooded with confusion. Her mouth was agape as she fumbled for the correct words.

"What... how...how is dad gonna hurt them?"

His eyes went to his feet, refusing to meet her. "You wouldn't understand."

That phrase.

That one phrase always pissed her to an extreme extent.

Jumping up from the bed, she stormed over to him, not allowing anything but a few inches in front of them. She wanted him to _feel_ her anger. To understand she was not playing around. "No! I want to know. How is Dad going to hurt them!"

He didn't even blink at her close proximity. "There is so much darkness in him and he doesn't even know it."

Lilith drawled out her words, hoping he'd get the idea that she needed to know what was happening. "I think you gave him a pretty good idea of what his dark side looks like."

Dan started chuckling as he raised his scarred hand. It glowed that familiar gold as one after another, horrifying images flashed in front of Lilith and nonstop screams pierced her ears. Each one was worse than the last, imprinting themselves forever on Lilith's brain.

His eyes moved from his hand back to her, letting out a light gravel as he spoke in a hushed tone. "I am nothing compared to the others. If anything, I'd say I'm one of, if not the best possible outcomes he has."

A tear fell from a Lilith's face.

She finally understood him. In his twisted ethics and moral mind, he found some way of it being justified. It wasn't right, and Lilith knew that, but having an understanding of her uncle's mind put her at ease, in a mysterious way.

His tone softened as he spoke again, an almost reminder of her Dan. She truly longed for home. "How many timelines did Clockwork take you to?"

She knew her anger was dwindling; she had nothing to fuel it. Instead, sadness and worry took its place. "All of them I think, but I never saw any of those... outcomes."

He snorted. "Of course not, you're his kid. The one thing he was always great at was not spoiling the ending. He only showed you the good endings. He never showed you the Time Tree in its entirety, and trust me, it is vast."

They both jumped as Izzy's voice reached their ears. "Hey dipshits, can I come in yet. It's like 90 degrees out here in late November! The new weather lady can find a new job. Mother Nature my butt!"

Standing on her tiptoes, Lilith cupped her hand to his ear as to keep Izzy out of the conversation. She whispered, "I know my father, I also know that everyone has a dark side, but I also know he can overcome it."

She skipped to the balcony with light steps. Looking back to Dan, her eyes held nothing but seriousness. "I'll keep my promise. Just lay low for me, okay?"

Taking off into the night, only one thought came to her mind.

 _I know you can overcome it too._

"Izzy wake up, Izzy."

Izzy woke up to see Dan still and lifeless next to her. Throwing off the bed sheets, she scrambled over on top him, trying to check for a heartbeat, a pulse, anything. "Dan! Are you okay?"

"He's okay."

Izzy's body jolted at the new voice that wasn't hers or that of her boyfriend. Slight fear started to fester. Pulling at the covers, Izzy tried to hide herself as best as she could.

The unknown voice continued as if she hadn't taken notice of Izzy's agitation. "I even healed the nerves on his arm, but I couldn't fix the scars. Now, are you okay?" The room was covered in pitch blackness, she couldn't see the few inches in front of her; only her hands and Dan were visible.

The voice beyond her vision sounded familiar as rational thought started entering her mind again. If the person was a threat, she would already be dead. "Lilith, is that you? What are you still doing here? I thought you went home?"

"I stuck around for a little while. Now I need to talk to you."

Izzy could detect the sound of Lilith's fumblings as she searched for something. A few seconds later she heard a soft click and her room was lit up from the lamp that sat on her nightstand table, as the light cut through the veil that shielded her vision from seeing the young halfa, banishing the darkness.

Her eyes blinked a few times as her eyes adjusted to the light. As she searched Lilith's violet, knowing eyes, Izzy understood. "You know, don't you? How exactly?"

A small smirk crawled onto her lips."Well, since you remember who you were, you also know that since Dani's my sister, I'm Danny's kid too. Well, this timeline's Danny. I know because you told me... in the future."

Izzy's head begun to hurt, this was becoming too much too fast. She clutched at her head, hoping to relieve some of the pain. Her hand moved to her stomach. The baby always did calm her, even if she only knew about him for a short while.

"You know, a week ago I was a simple waitress that got knocked up by a muscular guy with long hair. Now, I remember two different lives. I died in one of them, and my baby dad is my best friend from another life, who, let's not forget, I was completely in love with. And now you're talking about me from the future. I just want back the days where the weirdest thing was a dead lunch lady that threw a steak at me."

Lilith gave a shrug of her shoulders as she slightly tips her head to the side in contemplation. "Well, technically she's not dead. Ghost aren't dead people, they just kinda are-"

"I _know!"_ She saw Lilith flinch at her yelling and tried to smooth her tone. "Can you give me just a moment of normalcy for goodness sake? Ugh... Why are you here again, and what happened to Dan?"

"I froze time for everyone except us. I'm here to help clear your clouded mind a little. Now, where do you want to start?"

"Why do you want to help me?"

She rolled her eyes, grabbing for Izzy's wrist, and pulling her from the bed. "Because, you're my aunt, and I love you. Also, I know about the time displacea running through your head. It can be hard, I wanna try to help the best that I can."

* * *

"Come on, is that really all you got?" Dan stepped in front of the trembling man, his hand engulfed in flaming green fire.

A man about twice Dan's size with a black trench coat, matching sunglasses and hat, stood in one of those stupid machines that his parents had apparently built when this stupid Parhiara Dark attacked. "Yo, Chicago doesn't want no superpower freak around. How about you just go back to whatever house you haunt and leave us alone."

Dan fired at the machine, but it left no mark, to Dan's utter disappointment. "Seeing as I have people who need me here, I'm not going anywhere anytime soon."

He sped as fast as his body would allow, making the glass protection that covered the top of the machine where the guy sat comfortably in the chair. Picking up the man, Dan looked directly into his eyes and gave an ominous smile. "Now tell the _"Phantoms"_ they're gonna stop using my name and they're going to leave town or _I'm_ going to bring the exterminator on your little rat's nests. Got that?"

The man nodded and scurried away from Dan the moment his feet touched the ground.

"Keep running you little punk!" Dan let out a little chuckle. "Too easy." Out of nowhere, Dan was knocked about half a block from where he stood. Spitting a little bit of ectoplasm that leaked out of the corner of his mouth, he looked back to see one of the gang members in another high tech suit. It was definitely better built.

His taunting voice worked its way through Dan's clouded head. "Get up, Casper! What, did I knock the dead out of you?"

"If Danielle's right, and Vlad is coming back, the first thing I'm gonna do when I see him, I'm gonna kick his ass for designing these new versions of power suits." Tilting his head back, the noise of tiny bones in his neck cracked as he took a firm stance again.

"Let's dance!"

Confused, the gang member asked, "Let's dance. How old are you?"

Rolling his eyes, Dan ignored the question. "Gosh, I hate 2013."

The halfa then lunged forward and phased his hand through the power suit ripping it in half, exposing the scrawny man inside.

 _Better built my ass._

The man was now shriveled on the ground, curled into himself as he cowered in fear.

"Next time you steal these things make sure your dumb ass doesn't steal the counterfeit."

"Yo! You ain't so tough on your own. How about you take us all on. But you won't be so tough after we're through with you."

Dan scanned the area around him to see he was completely surrounded by gang members ranging from big to gigantic all carrying anti ecto weapons.

Dan touched the com device in his ear, giving it a light tap. "Baby, I'm gonna need my music."

"That bad, huh?" Izzy's voice could be heard over the intercom in his ear. A hushed whisper of a cry could be detected in the background, presumably their daughter, unless Jack didn't have his nap.

"Eh, I'm probably gonna be home late again."

"Just make sure you pick up some pizza for Jack and I. Oh, and get Kath some formula, okay?"

The familiar tune of The Backstreet Boys' _I Want It That Way_ started filling his eardrums. "Baby, I think you have your playlist on."

"Do you want me to change?"

A small pause.

"No, wait minute. I can work with this."

Dan's foot started lightly tapping against the gravel to the beat.

The men were getting tired; Dan could tell they were ready to attack. They taunted him, "Come on, OLD MAN!"

A smile graced Dan's face. Bringing his fist together, another few crackles could be heard.

"I'mma kick your ass back to the 90s."

Izzy and Lilith both began to laugh uncontrollably at the scene of Dan beating the shit out of hardened gang members, all to Izzy's playlist of nothing but 90s boybands.

Izzy gasped for the air, trying to get the right words out to form a sentence correctly. "I can't take him seriously. This has to be the funniest thing I have ever seen. Now, this is the Danny I remember. Just that goofy kid who doesn't take life too seriously."

Dan punched out the last gang member, leaving him unconscious. Catching his breath he falls back on the nearby building to rest his aching body. He lifted his hands about crazily as he sang the last words, "Hey, Macarena!" and slumped against the building, passing out in the process so that his body could heal.

At that point Lilith and Izzy collapsed in a combination of embarrassment and hysteria. With their feet were in the air, kicking at nothing but the wind that whipped by of the night time air that the Chicago air held over them, they both enjoyed the laughter they shared.

Lilith wiped the tears from her eyes as her smile slowly faded and air returned to her lungs. They were both ignoring the gravel that bit into their skin as their laughter slowly began to fade. It was nice to see her aunt so happy. "Good, I'm going to need you to remember this in the future. He is going to need you to remember this."

Her golden eyes were charged with hesitation as she tilted her head to face Lilith, along with questions dancing on her lips. "What happened to him? What made him so... reserved?"

Her eyes traveled back to Dan as he woke and went to stand once more, as she went to stand, she offered a hand to the waitress, helping Izzy up as well. "Sadly, I can't tell you. He has to when he's ready. And I'm sorry, but that's a story not for the faint of heart."

Lilith could tell she understood to a point of what she was saying, but she also saw the worry that lingered in Izzy's liquid honey eyes. "I'm still so confused. How can I remember all the things that I did as Sam and still have the memories of Izzy as well? Wow, I sound crazy talking about myself in the third person."

"Well, time travel and timelines are kinda crazy, even by our standards. But it's not as hard as you'd think to understand. Imagine base of a tree being the main timeline. As the tree grows it splits into multiple branches."

Her hands moved about, making an invisible outline of a tree branch with her hands.

"Those branches are all the different outcomes of all the decisions ever made. In other words, those branches are different timelines. Those branches, no matter how big or small, are still a part of the same tree. And if you go back far enough, you can reach the base of the tree again. Or in other terms, the time before your timeline, the one where you died, splits from the main timeline."

"Okay, that's a _lot_ to take in. I'm not sure I entirely understand."

"Here, take my hand again. I'll show you."

Izzy reached for Lilith's extended hand, grasping it in her own.

Opening her eyes, she was in a crisp, crowded, building filled to the brim with people of light complexion and hair to match. It was a stark contrast from the hot Chicago night she had just come from. Piano music played softly in the background. People in overpriced dresses, fancy jewelry, and with high quality wine were conversing with each other as a waiter came around every few seconds to offer little bits of food. Her eyebrows knitted together as a memory flashed before her eyes.

She spun around in awe as memories hit her like a truck. This couldn't be happening, but yet here she stood in her old home at this reunion she hated as a child, and it all just clicked into place together for a moment. She could always be Izzy from now on, and she still had a long journey ahead of her, but maybe she could do this. She did have Dan afterall.

"I remember this. This was the family reunion Mom held when I was nine. Back when I was Sam. Oh, she pissed me off so much. She was ashamed that I was "cursed" with my her dark hair, so she died it blonde for the event. Even put me in a pink princess dress. All I wanted to do was go play outside with the kids at the playground, but Mom said that proper girls don't play in the mud like animals. I was sad almost the entire time, then there was this woman with dark hair who came up to me dressed in that 90s punk and she just... she-"

Izzy glanced at Lilith in shock.

"No."

Lilith remained unmoving, not answering her.

"No that couldn't be. Lilith, that can't be right."

Izzy glanced around, but could see no trace of the young halfa. "I'm still intangible, you know! And in my pajamas, no less!"

Izzy overheard the sound of fingers snapping as she looked down to see herself in a plaid red skirt, black choker, black crop top shirt and leather jacket to match, the final piece of her outfit were her calf-high leather boots. Her stomach stood out a bit, but not horribly for anyone to really take notice.

Izzy bobbed her head back in forth when she heard the thud her heavy boots made with each step. "Okay, this I can work with this!"

She looked down at one of the silver serving trays to see her hair in a short half-shaved classic punk style Izzy had when she was younger. "Not bad kid. If this whole time travel thing doesn't work out for you, you should totally become a hairstylist."

It didn't take Izzy long to find her. The sad nine-year-old blonde princess sat next to the window on a red plush cushion, watching all the other kids outside having fun and making a mess.

"Hey, there little squirt. Why so down?"

She gave a small sigh, placing her chin in hand as her gazed stayed fixated on the outside. "My Mom won't let me play with the kids outside. She said I need to be proper and _behave like a lady."_

She let out a low, long sigh. That sounded like her mom alright. "Is it okay if I sit with you?"

The girl gave a small nod. "I guess so."

Lowering herself down on the hardwood floor, Izzy watched as her young former self. "Let me ask you a question, squirt. Do you like all this bright pink stuff you got on?"

She glanced down at her outfit, shaking her head. "No, but my mom does. She only buys me things like this all frilly and girly."

She repeated her question in a different form. "But you don't like them?"

She gave a slight shake of her head. "No, not really. I like monsters and horror stories and rock n' roll. But those things aren't ladylike."

"Well screw that noise. I say, you can be whatever you want. Life is way too short to be someone you're not." Izzy looked around to see who was watching. Once the coast was clear, Izzy looked back to her younger self. "I probably shouldn't do this, but here, kid."

She took off the choker and handed it to little Sam. "Now, how about you go play with those kids outside. Oh, and do me a favor. Get that dress so filthy your mom will never buy you one ever again."

Fear danced in her longing gaze. "But mom will see me go outside."

"Leave that to me kid! Now go."

Looking to the ceiling, she called out to her companion. "Lilith, I'm going to need a poltergeist right about now."

Without a moment's notice, food went flying everywhere, coating everyone's expensive attire in a sweet sticky mess. The giggle that escaped her lips couldn't be helped. "Thanks."

"Oh, Miss." Izzy looked back to see little Sam by the exit. A large smiled lifted onto her lips; it even reached her amethyst eyes. "I really like your hair."

Izzy smiled, brushing a hand though it. "Thanks squirt."

Walking back to a now visible Lilith— well, to her at least— she beamed at her mission that was complete. "I did pretty good for a first time, time traveller, now didn't I?" She gave a roll of her eyes, but said nothing as she raised her medallion.

Izzy blinked and was back in her bedroom, time still frozen with Dan sleeping in one of his weird positions. She shuffled quietly to her own side, and took a seat on the bed.

There was a comfortable silence that settled around the pair before Izzy broke it. "So, I just interacted with the Sam from this time, yet I remember me being there and giving me my chocker. The one that I had on me even that day I died. How is that possible?"

Lilith stayed close to the balcony, ready to leave, but wanting to make sure Izzy was okay. "Like I said, we went so far back in your personal timeline that we reconnected with the main timeline. Your's and Dan's personal timeline splits the moment the Nasty Burger explodes. Anything before that happened to both you and the Sam of this timeline. That's why you both have that choker. But anything that happened after the Nasty Burger, this Sam won't know about."

Izzy shook her head, probably to get rid of the crazy swarming around inside. "That's crazy."

She chuckled, a hyped energy making her body bounce in little trembles from happiness. "Yep, that's life. Ours at least. Now I have to go. My parents will be wondering where I am. Take care you two."

"Wait!" She turned to see Izzy, her eyes widened with fear, she was now mostly hidden under the bed sheets. "We just traveled through time, and I'm pregnant. There aren't going to be any side effects on the baby are there?"

Lilith froze for a moment.

She gave her the best half smile she could. "Of course not." Lilith took off, out of the balcony like a bat out of hell before Izzy could question to rocky response.

Lilith looked back at Izzy in the distance as she felt that there was enough distance between the two.

"So that's why that dipshit can see the future." Lowering her voice so that she was sure that only she herself could hear it, she whispered, " Sorry you two."

Phasing through the outside of the large house, Lilith landed outside of the dining room where all the girls of the house were gathered looking at a wedding catalog.

The whole Fenton, Manson, and Foley family sat on the couch. Nana Pamela was held a wedding magazine tightly in her grasp as she and her mom settled though dresses. "You know, I said I would never buy you another dress after what you did to that pink one at our family reunion. Heh... I was so foolish back then. I'm so happy you girls came into my life. You really changed me for the better. Now, what style do we want."

"Come on, let's go!"

"Are you sure this is going to work, Lily?"

She turned around to see her parents, sisters, Tucker, aunt Jazz, and grandparents trailing slowly behind her. "Well to be honest... it's worth a shot isn't it?"

Danny nodded in agreement. If this wouldn't work, nothing would. "Good point."

They all rushed up the sidewalk and gave a light tap on Valerie's door. After a few moments, light footsteps could be heard on the other side, and before they knew it, she answered the door, shock clearly written on her face.

She opened the door further, allowing them to pass through into the living room. "Oh hey. I wasn't expecting you for a while, to be honest."

Lilith was the one to speak first, her voice held nothing but a grave tone. "Val, we know you did what you had to. Now we need your help."

She nodded in agreement. "Sure, how can we help you?"

Lilith pulled out a vial containing a long strand of raven hair. "We might have a way to stop Dan for good."

* * *

 **Shoutout to my beta reader, silente faery**


	25. Chapter 24

**Ch. 24! I can't believe we'll be coming to a close soon! But I'm so excited to have you guys see how everything plays out. Anyway, please enjoy! Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom, Nickelodeon does.**

* * *

"What's your plan?"

Lilith understood the hesitation that clutched at Valerie's voice, but continued to explain. "Okay, hear me out before you think I'm crazy. When Dan interacted with you, you had visions of his timeline and what that version of you did, correct?"

They were all huddled together in Valerie's living room, where the young halfa trying to convince everyone of her plan. She needed them to get onboard with this. It was her only hope.

"Yes."

A victorious smile stretched on her Lilith's lips. The gears started to spin in Valerie's eyes and Lilith knew the ghost fighter started to see the possibilities of what she was conveying. "Well if we could replicate that, we could see if there was anything that version of you was working on to bring down Dan."

"That might actually work. But a question still stands: how do we even find out if his world still exists, and if it does, how do we get to it? You guys don't have a portal, and my dad is still working on ours."

Tucker's eyes gleamed with unashamed pride. "Don't worry, Tucker Foley is one the case. I have it covered."

Rolling her eyes, Danielle goes to clasp a hand the techno-geeks shoulder. "Pookums, we've talked about this. We don't talk about ourselves in the third person." The only response she received is a feather light kiss on the cheek.

Instantly a burden was lifted off of the young halfa's chest; the air was easier to gulp in now. No one noticed her swift intake of breath, nor how just moments prior how she had been holding her breath until her aunt gave an answer, which only made her count her blessings. No one could know her motives for this. Holding up the vial, Lilith said in a sing-song voice, "Leave that to me. We just need you in order to find out if the timeline is still around."

Danny whipped past her, the small amount of movement caused his clothing and hair to ruffle just a bit, as he went to stand in front of Valerie playing on his daughter's idea to Valerie. "Lilith here is going to use the medallion to search the timelines while Danielle uses her visions see into your past. We also need to ask you something before we begin."

Valerie's eyebrows knitted together as her mouth sat in a deep frown and her arms crossed over her chest. "Sure what do you need?"

Danny exchanged glances with his daughter's, silently questioning who would ask. Both Danielle set their gazes on Danny, to shy to ask on their own accord. He could see the confusion swirling in the huntress's eyes. "What does Dan want, exactly? What's his plan?"

Valerie's eye immediately flew to the tip of her shoe, embarrassment colored her face, but was hidden for the most prt under her darker complexion. Her fingers started to curl the ends of her shirt. "We'll, its obviously to kill you, but I don't think its for his timelnie anymore. He scoffed when I asked and said revenge wasn't really a reason anymore either… I don't know. I wish I could tell you guys."

Sam stepped up, carefully with her steps as not to spook her. Gripping the ridge of Valerie's shoulder, she demanded for her to meet her own gaze. It took a second, but Valerie finally did, nothing but guilt hollowed throughout.. "We don't blame you. You did what you had to do. We'll figure out what he's exactly planning."

The weight in her eyes lifted at the promise. "He seemed to think that Danny is the monster here, I'm not sure why, but just the way he talked, one time he said 'people just don't know what Danny Phantom can become.' Maybe it's got something to do with that waitress that looked like Sam that you saw?"

Danny moved next to Sam, trying to regain focus on what they had intentionally intended for the visit to be. "We'll, whatever it is, whatever his reasoning, we have to stop him before he tries to kills us for real this time. As I mentioned before, Lilith's going to use the medallion to search the timelines while Danielle uses her visions see into your past."

Sam backed away as she Valerie decided. "And you're sure this'll work?"

Danny pitched a low sigh, running a hand slowly through his hair. "It's our best shot at the moment. Ready?"

A moment passed as she contemplated the weight of the task. Every person in the room noticed when the Huntress made her decision as she quickly clutched her eyes closed, then let them open, along with her shoulders being raised and lowered in a long breath. "Yeah."

Lilith placed one hand on Valerie and the other in the hand of her sister, interlocking both girls' fingers with her own.

Flashes of Dan's timeline began to race in front of them. All the horrific details of living in a world ravaged by Dan. Then they saw it: Death, decay, chaos. Buildings crumbled at the very foundation. Blood was spilled, saturating the very ground people walked on.

Eventually, the information that they were looking for crossed in front of them. The alternate Val finished tinkering with the device and looked to her father. "We did it, dad. We finally have a way to banish that monster once and for all."

Damien Grey glimpsed at his daughter; curiosity filled his unpatched eye. "Where do we keep it where he won't find it?"

"Where do you attack an injured animal? In the open wound."

* * *

They soon arrived at Tucker's office. Upon entering, they all dashed to his basement, where Tucker had stated that he had just the thing to help. Everyone's steps mimicked those ahead on the limousine floor tile.

Moving to stand in front of a swirling eco-filled portal, Tucker raised his hands before the portal as he presented the machine. A toothy grin ate at his lips, filling his entire face. "Well, it might not be the flashiest, but it will still work. I give to you: the Foley Portal!"

The entire group was filled with humiliation, looking anywhere but at Tucker.

Jack skipped up to Tucker and hoisted out a wrinkled piece of paper from his pocket and handed it to Tucker, a grimace of a smile expanding onto his lips as his childlike eyes remained the same.

Confusion dabbled onto Tucker's face as he grasped at the crinkled paper, trying to smooth out the hastily folded paper . "What's this?"

"The patent to our Fenton portal that you are in violation of." He patted Tucker on the back, complete innocence taking his expression; he would always be goofy Jack Fenton. "Welcome to the family, son."

"Wait, is this for that time I walked in on Danielle in the show-"

Breaking the remains of his sentence, Danielle yelled, _"Can we focus!"_ trying to distract them from the embarrassing conversation. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught the image of her dad, anger hinted on the outline of his body, but his face stayed neutral, almost harden; as if not to show how he really felt at the news he had just received.

Lilith grabbed her medallion, ignoring once more that as she lifted off of her neck, she somehow stayed in place, and placed it at the bottom of the portal along with the strand of Dan's hair, looking it into a chamber hold that would hold the medallion and piece of hair.

Her mom's hands clasped onto her shoulder, concern scrawled across her face. "Are you sure this will work, Lilith?"

Hope had been washed away a while ago on this mission. It was pure drive that was hauling her through this, and the want to see _her_ family. _Her_ Dan. "The entire timeline was made because of Dan's decision. He's the focal point of that timeline. If his DNA won't take us there, nothing will. Also, I'd be more worried about us trying to use a ghost portal as a timeline teleporter."

Sam nodded, and diverted her attention to one of her best friend's. "Well, fingers crossed. Tuck, hit the switch."

Tucker followed her command and hit the switch, activating the portal. However, unlike the ordinary green spiral, what filled the portal changed into a disturbing pale red, teaming with an unnatural energy. _Unsettling_ was the least way to describe it.

Before gearing up, Danny focused back to his sister and Roy. "Now, Jazz, and Roy, I want you two to stay put in case anything goes wrong. You two are the best equipped to handle it."

They both gave a curt nod. Putting on the helmet to his power suit, Danny walked in front of the portal."We ready, Team Phantom?" Danny shouted in his most heroic voice.

"No! But when do we get to do what we actually want!" the entire group retorted in a mocking tone that matched the same heroic voice.

"Touché."

* * *

The air around was melted with oppressiveness and death. A stale taste trailed around in the air, surrounding them. Every step they took was either too dense or too light. All the colors encompassing them were either faded or extremely vivid— almost damaging their eyes— with no in between. A veil of dust dirtied the air around them even further, causing them to not be able to make out the simplest outlines in front of them.

Maddie's eyes scattered the area around them, looking for anything that would bring immediate danger, her hands flying to the ecto-gun strapped to her waist. She kept her body light as she moved, not allowing to let herself be comfortable enough to let her guard down in this place. This was death itself. "This place is awful. Is this really what happens to timelines when they are severed?"

Lilith couldn't move anything but her mouth. The muscles in her body were frozen, rooted to the very spot. "No, this is far worse. This timeline is hanging on by a thread and because of that, nothing in it is right. There are few things worse than death, but this is very much one of those experiences."

Lilith looked around to see people staggering near them, their expressions ranging from hollow to that of extreme pain. Their limbs were filled with nothing but sluggish motions as their efforts of walking seemed to be weighed. Everyone that they encountered was nearly see through and were twitching with every movement.

"Why are they moving like that?" Danielle asked with a mixture of horror and disgust splashed on her face; her legs had begun to shake at her knees. She immediately clung to Danny as he instinctively wrapped his arms around her for protection.

Always a daddy's girl.

Lilith swallowed the bile that wanted to be released. "This place is a cancer and only wants to die. Because it still exists, everything in this timeline is breaking down. Reality is being torn apart and they are feeling the full effect. It is the worst fate imaginable, one that no one should have to suffer. Now let's go."

"Wait. There's something you never explained." All eyes fell on Maddie as they halted their steps. "This place still exists. I thought it wasn't supposed to." Maddie looked on as she saw the defeated look of her granddaughter. Her shoulders dropped, and her eyes flew to the distorted dull sky.

"It's not."

Shivers drifted down the curve of everyone's back. The weight of her words were not lost on the group. Danny lifted his eyes to his daughters. "Lilith, how long do we have until this world is gone?" The only response he was given was a long heave of her shoulders, but nothing more. They pressed forward, trying to ignore the meaning of what she had said, keeping a watchful eye on their surroundings.

They were all silent as they scurried their way across a desolate field, letting Lilith lead the way. The only thing that could be heard was Dani's contorted breathing as she tried to find a way to even them out. Even with Danny, Sam, and Tucker protectively surrounding her, it did little to settle her bouncing nerves.

They passed collapsed buildings, wrecked roadways, and destruction of nature. Emptiness waited everywhere they went. Eventually, Maddie's eyes landed on Lilith. "What happens when this timeline finally vanishes? What happens to all the people of this world?"

Lilith glanced at her grandmother with an expression of sorrowful happiness. An uneven smile mixed with a grimace settled on her lips. "They find peace."

Maddie locked her jaw together, forcing any questions she had left to melted away for the time being. Hosting the ecto gun from the holster, she gripped the weapon tightly for any reason.

Lilith resumed, ignoring the stress that found its way onto her grandmother's shoulders. "Let's just do what we came here to get and get back to the portal."

The ground beneath their feet had begun to convulse violently as the words trailed off from her mouth. Everyone gripped the person closest to them for security, determined to keep together. Once steadied, the adrenaline started to course through her body, and she knew they had to be faster than the pace they were already going.

"That is, if that thing still exists."

With that, Lilith picked up the pace, expecting everyone to follow in step behind her. She knew she should explain the urgency to her family, but stopping for just a second, could be a risk to their lives. She would explain later.

"Sam?"

Sam casts a few glances over her shoulder when hearing her name. The voice was eerie, familiar but off somehow. An echo of an unknown memory. She was about to follow suit with the rest of the group, intending to protect her daughter once more.

The confused voice now turned to that of sadness, gaining volume.

"Samantha, Please! We've missed you _so_ much."

One of the hollow, emptiness, a hazy outlines hobbled up to Sam, jerking with every step they took. Their movements were unnatural as their knees twisted inward with each step and dangled lifelessly about at her waist. This person had vivid orange hair, a faded pink dress, and dirtied pirls around her neck. "My little girl, my sweet girl. I thought we lost you."

The poor being placed a hand on Sam's helmet, only to have it passed through her followed by the rest of her distorted being. As it passed through Sam, the emotions that surged through the being immediately passed through Sam at her feathered touch, draining Sam physically and mentally. When the being exited Sam's form it looked around in confusion.

"Sam? Where did you go, sweetie? Sammy? _Sammy!_ "

The sound of wailing and sorrow filled the air as they did their best to move forward, their steps hurried as to get Sam and the rest of the group away from the horrific scene.

Danny lightly brushed a hand on Sam's shoulder to comfort her. However, the sudden touch made her jerk in fear. "It's okay sweetie, it's just me." Her eyes landed on her fiance and then sagged in relief as the air slowly loosened from her chest. "Are you okay?"

She nodded as her tongue skimmed the bottom of her dry lips, keeping her answer short. "I'll be fine. Let's just keep going."

As they pushed forward, the group started to hear the faint sound of cracking coming from above them.

Tucker spun in small circles to see if he could detect where the sound was coming from, but found nothing. "What is that noise?"

They looked up to see one of the tall downtown buildings start to tip into little bits of rubble over them. Lilith's eyes widened in fear as awareness touched her, gripping the pits of her stomach.

 _"Everybody, run!"_

As the group made a mad dash away from the building, the shadow had begun to consume the ground below, swallowing it whole. Right as the debris had almost hit the ground, it vanished in the air above them. A look of hysteria and uncertainty was written over the party's face.

Grasping for air, Danny looked at Lilith, falling to his knees as his arm braced his weight so that he wouldn't fall into the dead grass. He tried to concentrate long enough to form a coherent sentence as the stale air choked its way down his airways."What...the heck ...just happened?"

Lilith's eyes avoided his gaze, wildly finding something to focus her attention on, but everything her sight was found was either rotten or decayed already. It wasn't pleasant. "I'm not sure but I don't want to know where it went. I really want to get out of this place."

They finally reached the remains of Casper High. The outside seemed to be mostly intact, except for a large hole in the corner that protruded from the building. While the bricks were becoming weak with age, they still held they're place. The windows were masked with dust and other grime. The flag pole held the scattered remains of what was left of the cloth.

Danielle's shaky voice broke through the group. "What happened here?"

Lilith wandered over to her sister. "This was the first place that Dan destroyed when he was on one of his rampages. It just had too many bad memories for him. He wanted it all to just go away."

Upon entering the building, they saw paint peeling off the walls. Graffiti was sprayed all over the abandoned lockers, cobwebs decorated the corners, and old papers, newspaper's, rotten, moldy food, and other unknown things littered the ground.

Danielle's body deflated at the sight of a complete lookalike to her school being in such disarray. They moved quickly, keeping their steps discrete. "So this is terrifying. Like, I know we deal with ghosts on a daily basis but this is just, ugh."

Tucker moved next to his girlfriend, wrapping an arm around her waist, probably for security if she knew the geeky mayor any. "Yeah. You know this whole timeline is awful but I think this might be the weirdest."

Filing closer together, Danny muttered, "Weird or not, we have to find this thing. Val said that it was somewhere in the gymnasium. So all we have to do is go in and get it, then we can leave this place."

As they walked down the halls they had noticed the messages left in the graffiti sprinkled on the dirted walls.

'Dan the Destroyer.'

'Make Peace, for it Never Lasts.'

Danielle gave a brief snort. "Well, that's encouraging."

Moving forward, Danny waved his arm, signaling for them to follow him as he rushed to the twin doors that lead to the gym. "It doesn't matter. Soon, he'll be out of our hair and we won't have to deal with him ever again."

They made it to the gym to see the doors nailed shut with more words written on the wall. "Safe Place."

Danny and Danielle clutched the group, phazing them to the locked doors. Danny's eyes traveled and landed on the one thing he didn't want to see. "Guys... I think I know why no one found out that Val hid the device here." Staring directly back at Danny was a sickly pale grey, defeated looking Fright Knight.

Leaning into the group, Sam whispered, "I don't think he can see us."

Lilith gave a slow nod of her head, worried that the slightest movement might alert the ghost to their presence. "Yeah, that might be because of the timeline."

Taking a moment to observe their surroundings, Danny could make out a dull glow behind the once formidable ghost. He knew what it was the moment it locked into his sight. "Lilith, let's get it."

Fear took her at his words, uncertainty trickled into her brain. "Do you think this is really going to work?"

Wrapping an arm around her upper bicep, he started to tug her forward, only her heels being the cause of their slow steps. "Yeah, just have to have a little faith."

If only she could have that much courage as her dad.

Dashing in a zig-zag motion to make sure they were just out of the Fight Knight's view, they eventually saw the device in their line of view behind the bleachers. Crouching down, Lilith kept on the tips of her toes as she moved to retrieve it.

Lilith wrapped her hands around the cylinder as her hands started to glow a honey gold color. "I think I have it!"

Her dad's electric green eyes grew at the sight of her hands."Wow, I really think you wearing that medallion must have rubbed off on you."

Ignoring his observation, she continued to examine the silver sphere shaped piece of metal. Three buttons matched up perfectly on one side, inches from each other, and a fingerprint scanner was placed just under the cap. Bolts and nuts alike held it seamlessly together. The weight of it was lighter; this thermos was smaller in length and width, much more compact. A release mechanism was placed on the opposite of the three other unknown buttons. The workmanship was far from shabby.

As the cylinder solidified, everything around them began to tremble, followed by the loudest bang that weaved throughout the room. Looking to her dad, emotions of dismay mirroring both of their faces, the words left her mouth without thought. "What the hell was that!"

The Fright Knight's eyes glowed as he returned to his normal figure. His eyes set on the group, and without much initiative, he started stalking towards them in a tauntingly slow stride. His steps were weighed precisely as if to scare the group. He held power over them, and he knew how to use it.

Running out from behind the bleachers, the two halfa's made a dash for the rest of the group. Yelling for everyone to move. "Guy, I think we should leave!"

Danielle, being the ever sarcastic sixteen-year-old that she was, could only reply with, "What gave you the clue: the earth-shattering boom, the Fright Night walking toward us, or that scary ass black hole forming from where the cylinder was!"

"Black hole?"

Danny peered back to see the gym had crumbled into the black abyss that started to form beneath them. Pushing the device into Lilith's hands, he started to shove Lilith, Sam, and Danielle towards the door.

"Run!"

Danielle looked back to her dad as she let her feet take control and sprinted to the exit. "That seems to be the word of the day huh?" Lilith said, following the path that her dad was pushing her towards.

Annoyed with her sister's arrogant attitude, she shouted, "Less talky, more walky!"

They made it out of the school, not slowing a bit in the process. Looking back they saw the school implode and be engulfed by the inky darkness.

With the black hole stirring to match their pace, Danielle shook with panic. "That is terrifying!"

Danny continued to shove her forward. "Come on, keep running!" The portal was soon in their line of vision, just out of reach in the distance as the remains of the fallen building ascend was from the ground to block the path back to the portal.

Grabbing onto her mom and Tucker, Danielle picked up her pace even quicker if that was possible. "I really wish this place would just _die!"_

"Give it a couple minutes and you'll get your wish granted. Now on the count of three, everyone fire!" Lilith yelled over the rushing wind that started to pick up with force.

They all followed Lilith's order. The humans in the group aimed their rockets at the blockage, while the halfa's aimed a blazing etco blast.

"Three!"

Everyone shot off their blasts, causing the rubble to implode into nothingness, giving a full view of the portal once more, along with Jazz and Roy on the other side.

Tucker's body started to tremble in waves. "What is with this place!"

Running further, Danny called over his shoulder as his family trailed behind him. "Who cares, we're almost there!"

Mere feet away from the portal, the black hole had clawed its way to the group, destroying everything in its path; it almost reached the group and was expanding just as fast as they were running.

A ledge from one of the fallen buildings still stood, but due to their fast heavy steps it began to shake and fall. It almost fell on Danielle and Tucker, before Danny grabbed both of them, made them intangible, and yanked them to the portal without a moment to spare, narrowly escaping the same fate as Dan's timeline.

Dani collapsed on the tile floor of the lab, coughing up the dirt and stale air still trapped in her lungs. With tired enthusiasm, she flailed her arms above her. "Wow! Let's go again!"

Rolling her eyes, Lilith proceeded to stand with the help of Jazz and Roy lifting her up on to unsteady legs, then offered the same help to her sister. "Just when I think you've matured, Dani."

"What, gotta have a little fun don't I?"

After brushing the gravel that matted itself into his suit, and removing his helmet, along with the rest of the people in the group, Danny motioned for Lilith to produce the cylinder. "So let's see it, Lily."

Lilith brought out the cylinder from the back compartment of the suit. Holding it out, she saw a speck of dirt on the bottom of the device. OCD taking over, she tried to rub off the dirt.

Only to have the device crumble into dust in her hands.

She blinked a few times, the situation not fully settling on her while she grasped at the air, as if it would materialize out of nothing. But no matter how hard she tried, it was gone. Her backside hit the floor as everything sunk in.

"No, this can't happen. We had it. We finally had a way to stop him."

Everyone stilled as the blow overtook them. Everything was slowly crumbling to pieces around them.

 _No!"_

* * *

With her vision blurred, all Lilith could do at that moment was race to one place in particular: Izzy's and Dan's. The wind was pushing against her as she sped through the evening sky. After the day's events, she needed to see him. She needed to convince him.

Because losing their only winning chance shattered her in a way Lilith wasn't sure that could be repaired. She could easily put something in the thermos, convince Danny it was Dan, tell Dan and Izzy to leave town, and not to come back, at least for a while.

But it was useless now. No theromas, no plan.

They failed.

 _She_ failed.

In hindsight, maybe she should have alerted the two to her presence upon entering through the balcony. Thankfully, they weren't doing anything past the innocent playful kisses on Izzy's couch as a movie played quietly in the background. They soon separated as she cleared her throat, jumping from the couch while Izzy fixed her clothing.

Her gaze went beyond Izzy's to meet Dan's. "We need to talk. Now." She didn't look over her shoulder to make sure that the older halfa followed. She just strolled outside, her steps heavy scrambled as she tried to keep her footing.

"What the hell was that? Barging in here like you own the place." His anger radiated off his body in waves, but she ignored it, too consumed in her own thoughts to really care. Her feet forced her to move back and forth, but her thoughts blinded her in such a way that she didn't even notice her pacing.

Dan followed her out onto the balcony, casting a quick glance back to Izzy, who was snuggled up on the couch with a blanket, head resting on the arm on the couch, with her hair flowing over and down, while the rest of her was sprawled out on the rest of the couch. "It'll just be a moment, baby."

Lilith pushed Dan on his chest causing him to emit a low growl at the young halfa. "Why do you still want to kill him?" She halted her movements, facing him head-on. Tiny cracks started to her invade the tone of her voice.

The tears started to brim around the edge of her eyes. "I get it, my dad might turn into this terrible force in a lot of timelines, but have you ever thought just for once that this isn't one of them? Even worse is that you could cause that in someone else! How many monsters have you made?!"

The inner battle was playing on the surface of his endless blue eyes. He moved to the railing, gripping it tightly as his eyes set on the city below. "I died the moment they did. I had nothing. So I did everything I could to fill that void. Took whatever I wanted and killed anyone that got in the way. After some time though, I did nothing for me. I wanted the pain to stop and it did. I didn't feel anything anymore. I was the strongest being in my world."

Stress rittled his shoulders as it settled on his body. His words paused as his thoughts flung into his mind's eyes, recalling every enormous deeds he had committed. So much bloodshed weighed on his hands, but he wasn't sure that he was prideful with it anymore. Something in him almost felt shame with the actions he had.

"Nations would bow before me. But it did nothing. Ironically, the world was so busy trying to kill me that there were no more wars. Technology advanced in order for people to be protected from my wrath. The world... My world was on its way to becoming something more. I didn't care. Hell, the only way I realized this was during my time in the thermos. When I got these time powers I searched and searched for my timeline to try and return but what I found was just... wrong. Time had set and my home was a shadow and a pain filled memory. I was planning on making Danny's life a living hell before I offed myself and the rest of this world. Hell, even robbed a bank just so I could have the cash to binge out on a final meal."

A dry chuckle broke his words for a moment, but he continued on. He tucked his hands away in to the back of his pockets.

"The Rusty Ghost Diner. Most people would trash an all-you-can-eat buffet for their last meal, but there was just something about that diner that spoke to me. That's when I met Izzy, and my heart began to beat again. When she told me she was pregnant, that's when I knew I belong here. I felt alive again for the first time since I lost them. Every night, I would stay awake just a little bit longer than Izzy so I could just watch her little figure raise and lower. I knew then and there I would do anything to keep them safe. I was going to kill Danny out of spite for taking away my timeline. But now I have to, for them. I can't let this Danny become another monster. I can't let them die again."

Tears were streaming down Lilith's eyes like two enraged rivers. She found herself edging closer to Dan, the wind gliding against her skin. "You can have this elsewhere. You don't have to see Danny ever again. I can even pop in every now and then to make sure you and Izzy are safe. If he does go bad, we can stop him."

He turned back to her, his gaze boring directly into hers. "Could you stop me? Even with all your combined force and wit, none of you have come close to even keep me captive against my will. I am not the worst. In all the other timelines I have visited, all the monsters I have seen him turn into one thing always stayed true. The more he loses, the worse he becomes. Danny _has_ to die. Or we all will in the end."

Silence filled the hot air. Neither one wanted to speak. All their word all their arguments had been spoken. It was something to contemplate. She knew her dad would not let himself turn into that, he had to much love surrounding him to go down that path. But Dan was so sure about his decision, that she wasn't sure she could get through to him.

"Why?"

Both Dan and Lilith jumped slightly as they turned to see Izzy standing in the open doorway attached to the balcony. Her hand protectively caressed her stomach, with mouth parted and utter fright layered in her honey eyes. Her skin paled at the conversation she had overheard.

"What happened to my Danny?"

* * *

 **Uh-Oh. Dan Dan, you in troubleeeeeee. Lets see how Izzy-Sam if you see her as still being Sam?-will she react alright, or will this go downhill for our halfa? Night everybody, can't wait to see you guys next time. Lots of love. Shoutout to my beta reader, silente faery**


	26. Chapter 25

**Chapter 25! So, this was a hard one to write. Lets just say, bring your tissues, and enjoy the show. Please enjoy, and review! Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom, Nickelodeon does.**

* * *

The hotel bed was stiffer than Dan had remembered. He was sprawled there all night as he tossed and turned, thinking of Izzy and their child to be. His mind repeated of the previous conversation that he had with the only person he truly cared for...

* * *

"Danny? You _never_ call me that!" Dan said.

She was caught off guard for a second, her spine stiffened as her eyes widen, only for her to shake it off to resume her argument. Her anger grew further; the honey liquid in her eyes seemed to glow with fire, setting ablaze, pushing ahead and consuming anything in her path. Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned came to mind the second he saw her anger.

"Well, I never heard you talking about murdering someone, or this secret life of yours! Who the hell are you evem?"

He brought his hands together as he ran up to her, and pleaded as fast as his mouth would allow. The tremble in his figure was small, almost unnoticeable, unless someone was as close to him as Izzy was. "Izzy please, let me explain. You have no idea what I've been through-"

The desperation in his voice almost broke her; it reminded her of the Danny she knew. _Used_ to know.

That did it for her, pure rage clouded her judgement and ran through the veins in her body, the throbbing fury pounded and flooded throughout, blinding her vision, allowing her to only see the color red. "What _you've_ been through! No! You cannot fathom what I gave up for you! What I endured to see you again! Then it all leads to this! I loved you! I have _always_ loved you!" Izzy deeply inhaled, letting the heated air soothe the flames of her anger. She watched as his eyes glanced at her slightly extended tummy.

The outrage, however, was starting to become tame now as she saw where his eyes landed. But it still rolled around in her soothing honey eyes. Her thumb creased the pudge on her stomach, letting the baby soothe the anger that stirred in her as the tension in her shoulder's subsided. Her eyes narrowed at him, her lips fixed in a taunt downward line, accompanied by a few wrinkles that twisted at the edge of her lips.

"Get out, Dan."

He reached out to her, only to pull back at the last moment. He balled his fingers into a fist instead, worried that if he did try to brush his fingers along the length of her arm, he'd have another red mark slapped across his cheek. Tears burned at the surface of his eyes, but he refused for them to go any further. "Please Izzy, just let me explain and you will under..."

"Get out, _now!"_

Dan looked at Izzy for a moment, trying to remember every detail of her beautiful face, knowing it might be the last. Wrinkles sank into her forehead whenever she was inflamed about things that she was passionate about. The higher structure of her cheekbones became more pronounced as she spoke with anger, the soft jawline that ran the curve over her face along with her slightly pointed chin— which a few blemishes of lines that could be figured as scars still intertwined with her skin— tightened as she continued cursing at him.

How her cute narrowed nose sat evenly on her, her soft full lips that she'd always bite at when was nervous, or was angered in this case. Even though she thought her face looked horrible when she got mad, Dan would completely disagree.

But the one thing that he loved the most about the physical aspect of her was her ignited golden eyes. He never thought that after being accustomed to the amethyst of Sam Manson from all the years ago that he'd never be okay with looking into a different set of eyes, but one glance into her honey filled gaze, he knew he was a goner. While the violet eyes of his old love were beautiful, Izzy's eyes had beautiful specs of chocolate brown layered throughout, with different tones of rich honey lurked in the bases, combining to create such a golden beauty, one that no one should be able to have the honor of having.

And here he was, messing up another amazing thing in his life, all for the sake of stupid revenge.

Sighing in defeat, he scrambled to the door, every pound of his foot against the wooden floor was a blow to his heart. "Okay."

"Idiot! Fucking moron! What the hell is with that ironically self-harming asshole! Kill Danny?! What the fuck! I should go over to his hotel and beat some sense in his stupid ghost face and then put my stomach against his face so his son can get in a few good hits too! AHH!"

Lilith just gawked on at her aunt as she paced back and forth. Izzy's hands went to the back of her head for a moment before she instinctively interlocked her fingers together at the knuckles, as her hand slipped down, wrapping them around the base of her neck, bunches of hair getting locked against the nape of her neck in the process.

Deciding it was best to break the silence, Lilith took a few cautious steps to the enraged pregnant woman. "Izzy... Are you okay?"

That, however, was the wrong question. Izzy halted her pacing, and steadied her gaze, peering directly into her soul.

"Am I okay? No, I'm _not_ okay! I died and got reincarnated just to see his dumb ass again! I had to wake up to my mother's dead body with a metal rod sticking out of my gut when I was just five!"

Lilith tried to stifle the flinch that her body acted on. Deciding the best thing to do to keep her body still was to intertwine her arms behind her back, and crossed a foot over her other, which thankfully seemed to help keep her body's reaction to Izzy's screaming at bay. Seeing as the older woman wasn't doing anything to ease her screams, Lilith assumed that she hadn't seen her reaction.

She definitely hadn't noticed Lilith's reaction. "I had to get this shitty waitress job that damn near breaks my back every day! My feet were swollen everyday! I lived an entire lifetime with a lot of shit just to be with that asshole and then he pulls this kill Danny shit! I've been having trouble keeping my two lives untangled, but. it's almost impossible at this moment! What the hell happened to him that made him so freaking stupid!"

"He lost you."

That sobered Izzy quickly. Her eyes adverited to the floor, refusing to meet Lilith's gaze. Her arms instinctively went to wrap around her stomach.

Lilith didn't miss a beat. "He lost everyone. There was no one to grieve with him. Everyone he ever cared about, gone in a single moment and he was in pain. Pain unimaginable. When you were born again, you started fresh. New life, new memories, and no clue whatever happened to you when you were Sam. When you finally remembered, you were in your apartment carrying the child of the love of your life. The one you lived again for. You got him back practically the moment you remembered who you were. He didn't get that."

Clicking a few buttons on the time medallion, a bright golden hue broke out and colored the room. Images of Dan's timeline began to flash in front of the two, dancing along with the spinning of the color.

Lilith continued, herr voice taking on a more gentle approach, "He was alone, hated, and just wanted the pain to go away,"

Izzy's breath left her as she saw young Danny take that step off the top of Vlad's mansion, and tears started trailing down her cheeks in waves. Her hand automatically went to cover her mouth in her horror, her hand catching the small gasp released from her lips.

Placing a comforting hand on Izzy's shoulder, she tried to keep her voice soft for comfort. "So, Vlad gave him what he wanted. But with all the anger and guilt that was within him... When he killed his human half... His soul. There was nothing holding him back from that need to fill that emptiness."

Her hand had begun to tremble, but not of her own doing. Looking to the charcoal black haired girl, her lips breaking apart in little bouts, and closed again, her lips never staying still for long.

The color had started to drain from her face; Lilith knew she wasn't filling her lungs with enough air. Her lips were becoming pale, and her eyes were glossed over with an empty stare and was fixated on nothing. Releasing the medallion, Lilith pulled the woman into an embrace, rubbing circles into the small of her back, all the while whispering in her ear to breathe.

Making sure Izzy's sudden panic attack had diminished, and after setting them both down on the living room sofa, she asked the nervous woman if she wanted to continue, to which she gave a wordless nod. Taking a deep breath herself, Lilith did as instructed.

"So he did. He turned into the most feared being in both his world and the Ghost Zone. But it never brought him peace. My dad, this timeline's Danny, lived through Dan's timeline, experiencing everything he went through. But what he didn't see was all the other horrific possibilities. Every time a Danny lost someone close to him, it changed him and more often than not, it wasn't for the better. Dan saw all these Dark Dannys and came to the conclusion that the more Danny loses, the darker he becomes."

Lilith paused, allowing Izzy to absorb the information that was being thrown at her. She breathed a sigh of relief at the sight of color returning to her face. Izzy's eyes were now fixated on her instead of the wall, and she was happy to see life returning to her honeycombed eyes.

"That's why he wants to kill my dad. He's scared that with so many more loved ones in his life, that it is only a matter of time before Danny loses them and becomes a monster. Only a matter of time before he loses you again. Along with the baby."

Izzy's voice is shaky at best, but she's still able to choke out the words. "I didn't know. He... I just."

Bringing Izzy back into an embrace, she nodded against Lilith's shoulder, now understanding the full story. Lilith was also careful not to put too much too pressure on her stomach.

"It will be okay. It will be okay."

* * *

"It'll be okay Danny, just relax!"

Sam's soothing voice did little to him his jumbled nerves. With every member of the Fenton and Manson family gathered in the living room, nothing seemed to dampen his frustration and anxiety.

With his face in his hands, his words were muffled, but still understandable. "We had it, and now it's gone, just another mess down in the lab."

Tucker did his best to reassure him. "Well, if it's any consolation, it did have a nice confetti look to it when it disintegrated, like you may have failed but you did it in a pretty way. Like poof, FAILURE." Based on the befallen look on his best friend's face, he could tell he failed to brighten the mood.

A hand covered his mouth before he even had time to scream. Glancing to his side, he saw that it was only Danielle, making his shoulders sag in relief. A fake smile mixed with pain from his words sat on her lips.

Danielle tried to keep her voice as sugary as possible to keep the blow not to low, "Sweetie, I know you think you're helping but right now, it's better if we just don't say anything."

Removing his hands from his face, Danny looked to the three. "No, it's fine. He's right. Poof," — He an explosion of smoke gesture with his arms. —"gone."

Danny flung himself onto the sofa, then ran a hand through his inky black hair, catching on a few strands that he wasn't able to brush through yet. He repeated the word 'stupid' through the cracks of his fingers.

The fear that Sam and the others fought so hard to remove was obviously back, though just a little. Sighing, she sat beside him, playing with a flyaway strand of his hair.

"Danny James Fenton! You're more than this. You have to give yourself more credit. You're a hero! You're the man I love, that all of us love. I won't sit here and let you talk about yourself that way! If not for yourself than for all the people that believe in you."

Danny looked around the room to see all his friends and family look at him with warm smiles, a small uneven smile found its way onto his own lips as well when seeing the pride that filled his loved one's. "Thanks guys. You know, sometimes I forget that it's not just me like the old days."

Sam's eyes narrowed, sending him a warning glare. "Um, just you?"

Tucker almost mimicked her expression. "Yeah, I remember three kids always getting detention, not just one."

Pulling Sam into his arms, he jumped to his feet."You know what? I'm going to make it up to you. Pizza Gut is on me tonight!"

A smile overtook Danielle's mouth. "And a movie night?"

Danny beamed, mirroring his daughter's face. "Sure, what type?"

Tucker was the first to voice his pick. "Sci-Fi!"

All eyes rolled as Jazz yelled, "Romance!"

Jack and Maddie were on the same page for what they wanted for a movie. "Comedy!"

"Psycho Slasher!"

The entire room looked to Pamela Manson in utter surprise. Jaw's dropped to the floor, including that of her daughter's. A pin could be heard dropping to the floor form the silence that surrounded them. No one moved, not even a twitch.

Pamela's eyebrows cocked together. "What? All the stress is giving me wrinkles. I have to take out my aggression somehow." All remained silent, now all fearing for their lives if they ever crossed Pamela.

With that, Sam tugged at Danny's arm, yanking him in the direction to the side of the hallway while everyone else started the preparations.

"Danny?" His steps paused as he turned to see a complexion of an unreadable expression splashed on Sam's face. She glided over to him to cup his cheek, which he happily leaned into, enjoying the softness her touch brought. "It's gonna be okay."

Dropping her hand from his face, she grasped his hand, tugging him to the room where the rest of their family resided.

 _Yeah, maybe it'll be okay._

* * *

Hours seemed to drag by as Izzy attend to the rush of customers that stred to file in around noon. The tables soon became compact with waves of people with buzzing conversations. Rush hours always sucked and with Lilith words echoing in her mind, bounding back and forth while she did her best to quiet it.

 _Be careful. I know what he did was wrong, but you've been given a second chance. Don't waste it._

And as much as she knew Lilith was right, at the moment, it hurt. So she waited on people, got their food orders, and ran back and forth to get her job done. Food had been served; some of it, almost mouth watering to the pregnant woman, and some made her want to throw up her breakfast. She did everything to keep herself busy, feet moving, hands carried trays of food to a few testy people. It didn't matter, as long as she was moving, the outside world was in the back of her head.

As she started wiping down tables— to which she had gotten weird stares from Jenny for that along with, 'Izzy, it's a table, not an ex, you don't have to put a hole into it.' to which, Izzy just ignored her and continued on with her work— her boss had started to become obviously concerned and told her she could have an extra break if need be. But Izzy declined.

Busy.

She needed to keep busy.

People blured together as the time slowly passed. Her body was on autopilot as she worked to get food out. But the thoughts still haunted her. Eventually, she came to the conclusion that she was not going to be the one to apologize, that was for sure. But maybe, just maybe, if he came in, begging on his knees for forgiveness and a promise to work to be good again, she'd forgive him. A love like theirs was rare, she couldn't let it slip away.

Buried deep in her thoughts, she jolts when, the bell above the diner rung throughout the tiny space, crashing through her hazy thoughts. Putting on her best 'customer service smile,' she gave the usual greeting.

"Hello. Welcome to the Rusty Ghost Diner."

* * *

 _I have to make this up to her, but how?_

Dan scraped around his room, hoping to find something that would do the trick. "Vodka, no. Ninja movie, nope. My only pair of black skinny jeans, why do I even own these? Ugh, there has to be something!" Dan tossed the jeans to the other side of the room, settling in a corner, when a clink reached his ears from the intended forgotten part of the room

"What was that?" Dan walked over to the direction from where the sound came from. Laying there, mere inches from the pocket of the jeans, was his parent's wedding rings he had taken from the house after the incident staring directly back at him. He was just happy at the time of the accident they were having them polished, before his soul had been ripped out. It was a keepsake of a reminder of how much he missed them.

Before he became a monster.

"Well, I guess that's a sign. But where the hell am I gonna get a suit?"

Dan marched up to the diner, gravel crunching from the slightest pressure from his feet, as rain opened pour down on him, wearing the finest suit he could find, with his bottle of caffeine-free cherry cream soda in his hand. To his surprise, he saw police cars around the building.

Shaking his head, he heaved a sigh, which departed into the brittle cool air. "What the hell did Jenny do this time. Ugh, better bail her out. Again."

Dan scuffled his way to the entrance when he was stopped by an officer dressed in a blue uniform, with an officer's hat and sunglasses that really hid most of his face. The subtle that lined his chin was on thin side, but noticeable enough to know he hadn't shaved for a while. "Please sir, I'm going to have to ask you to stay back. There has been an incident and we need to do inquiries."

Dan rolled his eyes. "What, did Jenny deck another guy trying to look up her skirt? I'll pay her bail if you need me to."

That didn't quell the officer's holding stance. "Sir, I cannot disclose any information about the situation because it is still under investigation."

From behind the officer, a voice filled the space, "Izzy! Why!"

Fear gripped him at the familiar voice. "What the hell! That was Jenny."

Seeing that Dan wasn't going to comply, the officer raised an arm to put a hand on his chest."Sir, I'm going to insist that-"

However, that did little to hold the halfa back. Dan pushed past the officer, and ran inside to see Izzy lying motionless on the ground, blood covering her abdomen and starting to pool around her small frame as she laid there, matting into her perfectly kept ponytail. Her body lay motionless, her limbs contorted uncomfortably, her head lifelessly laid on its side.

"Izzy?"'

The air quickly escaped his lungs, the room spun for a minute and the floor beneath him began to sway. Breathing through his nose, Dan did everything he could to regain his bearings. Kneeling down next to the unmoving body, he pressed an ear to her chest, hoping for a faint heartbeat at the very least, anything. Putting a finger to the pulse point on the neck, he came up with the same result.

Nothing.

As a last ditch effort, Dan instinctively placed his hands on her lifeless form as they began to glow, intending to reverse time. He was going to do whatever it took.

To save her, to save them.

He couldn't lose his family. Not again.

"That's it, come on." However, as the minutes slowly ticked on, nothing happened. She just remained still and her skin started to become cold, her lips slowly turned icy blue. Her eyes stayed shut. "Izzy? Come on."

The glow intensified."Come on, damn it! Why isn't it working!" Yet again, nothing happened. Tears started pouring from Dan's eyes. His voice began to break. "Give them back! Please, give them back! I can't lose them again. I can't do it again!"

His wails began to shake the ground below them as dishes and silverware begin to float. _"Give them back!"_

His voice finally gave as he laid next to her body, muffled sobs shudder his entire body as he held her tightly, just hoping she would hold him back.

"Please."

* * *

After coming back from the kitchen with her soda, a sudden pain stabbed at Lilith's chest, making grab at it as air fled her lungs, and but she couldn't regain her breath. Her eyes tensed close as she hissed in pain, her tongue pressed against the back of her teeth.

Unknown to her, her eyes began to glow a haunting white.

Danielle tore her gaze away from the movie, noticing the sudden illumination, to give her sister a worried look. "Lily, are you okay? Mom already left, and Grandma and Grandpa already went up to bed, we can go too if you need to."

Lilith began to stumble, swaying back and forth as her legs gave way underneath her, almost collapsing to the ground. Danielle sped to her and caught her just before she hit the ground. "Lilith, what's going on?"

Out of nowhere, her voice echoed, bouncing off the walls of the living room, sounding nothing like herself. "Clockwork said if you travel through time, you can feel when a fixed event is taking place. It feels different depending on the event. I've never felt one like this before. This just feels... awful."

That's when Danny started convulsing uncontrollably, dropping to the ground.

Jazz stared at the halfa. "Danny! What the heck is happening!" She felt helpless as she crouched down next to her little brother—not knowing what to do—as his hair ignited into white flame, his eyes burning red, and a pale greenish blue began to spread over his skin.

 _"Ah, it hurts!"_

"Danny!"

"Make it stop! Please, make it stop!" Danny's vision began to blur. "I... It... Ugh." Danny lay completely still on the ground, curled up into a ball, as his physical form reverted back to normal. He could faintly hear the scream of his sister for their parents, but blacked out before they arrived.

* * *

Pamela was making a fresh batch of Ecto-Cookies when she saw her daughter grab at her abdomen, tears flowing rapidly down her face. Dropping the mixing bowl, Pamela sheltered her daughter in her arms, brushing her hair out of her face to see if she was still conscious. "Sweetie, are you okay?"

Sam could feel something sharp in the pit of her stomach, building further up, until it exploded and spread throughout her entire body, bringing pain to every nerve littered within her. Everything was burning with pain for a while, but soon she felt numb, both physically and mentally. Her eyes clenched closed to as if to keep the pain at bay.

Shaking her daughter, Pamela yelled to wake her daughter; her attempts at rocking her daughter awake became more violent as she grew desperate with each passing minute.

"Honey! Please answer me, are you okay?"

Her eyes blinked opened. Her stare was fixated her Pamela, but the older woman was hit with an indescribable sensation of something being off as she held her daughter tightly in her arms. It was as if her whole world was tilted off its axis as the stare from Sam's amethyst eyes bore into her own. "Mom... I missed you so much."

Uncertainty gripped her as she touched Sam's forehead, looking for any signs of a fever. Maybe she had a concussion. "What are you talking about. You've been with me all day-" She was interrupted when Sam passed out on the floor, completely losing conscious this time. "Jeremy, get help!"

* * *

Dan just stat at his normal booth, head down, not saying a word. The officers had left a while ago and it was just he and Jenny left in the diner. He was ripping pieces of a forgotten straw wrapper that was left at the booth. When that was torn to shreds, he grabbed a napkin to busy his hands.

Anything to keep his mind distracted.

Jenny walked up to the booth and sat across from him. Her makeup was smeared from earlier. Mascara covered her cheeks; any attempt at wiping away the mess only rubbed it further into her skin.

She couldn't hold a steady voice as she did her best to explain what happened between breaths. "He just came in here like anyone else. He sat at the bar and asked for me. Izzy didn't know who it was, it was just another customer to her."

The hasty intake of breath was short, Dan honestly worried that it wasn't enough air. Her hands shakily grasped tightly around the cup of coffee that she made. Her grip tightened to the point of her knuckles turned white, veins popped out, contrasting against her skin

"But as soon as I came out I knew who it was. It was that bastard's brother. My ex, the one you took care of. He saw me come out and pulled out a gun. I froze the moment I saw it, but not Izzy. She never freezes. She got in between him and me, and in a moment the gun went off and he was out the building. Izzy did her best to hold out until the ambulance came, but she just couldn't. She um... Her last words. They didn't make any sense. She just said that she'll find you again. I'm so sorry."

Dan's mind began to race. It was that bastard's brother's fault. He should have made sure that there was no one to come looking for that piece of nothing. He was the reason she was dead, along with their baby. He was the reason Izzy lay motionless, cold, on the hardwood floor. This guy would pay. With blood.

"Dan?"

Dan gazed up at her, with burning black eyes and in a voice that pierced Jenny's very soul asked. "What did he look like?"

* * *

A scrawny man wearing a blue sweater ran down the stormy alleyway, making sure not to be seen, as water puddles splashed around his ankle with every stomp of his foot. "Stupid bitch got in the way. Why couldn't she just let do what I needed to? Now I have to freakin make sure she doesn't skip town before I can see her again."

Suddenly, his feet came. to a screeching halt. In front of him stood a tall man, masked by shadow. There was something about him that made the scrawny man feel unnerved. "Hey, what the hell do you want?"

The figure started shrinking forward. Seeing this, the man took out his gun and aimed it at the shadow. The outline of the man was large, muscles curved the outline of the shadow. Every step the shadow took, the pounding in his ears grew. "Oh no! Keep your big ass over there."

The figure advanced, taking larger steps, closing more distance between the two.

"I'll kill you, idiot!"

Smoke filled the cramped space, as the sound of gunshots echoed through the deserted alley. The figure held out a scarred and disfigured hand as it drops the bullets on the ground.

"What the hell are you?" The figure stepped out of the shadow. Looking down at the man was an inhuman looking creature with blueish grey skin, midnight black eyes and black flaming hair to match. On his chest was a faded D logo. He grabbed the man's shoulder and snapped it with ease, like how one breaks a toothpick. The figure gazed down at the man with a toothy grin.

"Didn't you know? I'm a hero."

Dan began to ascend into the sky as he held tightly to the man's arm as he dangled by his broken shoulder, screaming in extreme pain. They were accelerating at a rapid velocity and soon had risen above the dark clouds over Amity.

Dan looked down at the man once more. His breaths were now coming in shallow pants as the air became thin. a slow sinister grin spread itself onto his face, creating an evil glare etched in his eyes. The hold he hands on the man tightened to the point that his nails broke through layers of skin.

"Tell me, have you ever been to the top of Mount Everest. Up that high, you can see the very curve of the Earth. It is a sight only a handful have seen. It is truly awe-inspiring and I myself have only seen it once."

The man began losing color in his face due to the altitudes of which they were ascending. Dan halted mid-flight and looked around to see the very sight he had described. "Beautiful, isn't it? Here's a fun fact while we are up here. Did you know that you actually remain conscious for seven minutes after your heart has stopped? Kinda neat isn't it? Well, here we are at the top of the world."

Dan looked at the man in disgust as he tried his best to breath. The man looked for mercy in his eyes the same way his brother did before. Dan gave him nothing. Just as he's about to rip the man's heart out, Izzy's face flashed through his mind. His hand stopped, mid-way. _Please don't. She wouldn't want this. They wouldn't want this._

 _She isn't here anymore._

But as much he argued, the voice tore at him, if not the tiniest bit. It wasn't enough for his humanity to seep through, but the voice was enough for him to at least play with his prey. "I want to kill you, so badly. But I can't. At least not without a chance."

Descending back down to the earth, he floated above a deserted lake, just low enough for the man in his grip to have a chance of surviving the fall. A very slim chance.

"You can now gaze upon the most beautiful sight this world has to offer, while you contemplate how you took away my world. This is what you get for destroying the only thing that I loved." Dan would keep an eye, making sure the deed was done, or he'd take matters into his own hands.

With that, Dan released his grip as he watched the man descend to the cold icy water below.

After making sure Izzy had her justice, now it was time to get his own.

* * *

 **Izzy! Nooooooooo. And now, what does Dan have planned to get his own justice? This can't end well. I guess we'll just have to wait and see. Shoutout to my beta reader, silente faery**


	27. Chapter 26

**Chapter 26! I hope you all enjoy! This is mainly a flashback chapter, but it's important, because you'll finally get to see where Dan had been for that week where he disappeared after he tried to attack Danny outside of the diner. Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom, Nickelodeon does.**

* * *

"You're the bane of my very existence, taking what was mine. You have left me with nothing."

The growl that poured from Dan's mouth overflowed with power, causing everyone to halt their forceful steps. Electrifying shivers ran throughout their body, causing his prey to tremble. All eyes locked onto Dan as he hovered above them. No background noise pierced through the silence of the moment. The wind itself pause out of blatant fear as no one inhaled even the slightest of air. Mouths stayed shut, eyes unable to blink, even for a fraction of a second.

Dan watched as the group drew their weapons from their resting place; some had their hands inflamed with ectoplasm energy. But now, as they watched him, saw the power he wielded, the fear burned in everyone's eyes, consuming them. It set ablaze to the crackling cold that lay around them.

"You are the fuel of all my hatred. Everything you have done will only end in destruction. I have nothing while you have everything. I will wipe you all from existence. For if I have nothing, then nothing you will become!"

It was easier in the beginning. Before love tried to worm it's way back into his life. Before the universe taunted him with the idea of a somewhat happy life with a girl and a possible new family. But as he had learned long ago, he would never have happiness. Only if he could go back...to the beginning.

* * *

"Checking or savings sir?"

The man hesitated for a moment., rummaging through his faded memory as the teller at her station stood with a bored expression, mindlessly tapping her defined fingernail against the wooden desk. "Eh, I always forget which is which. Give me a moment, sonny."

"I'm a woman, sir."

The officer started fidgeting with the holster around his waist as he stood watch at the entry to the bank. A telltale sign of a shadow wisped back in forth within the confines of the darkness. Brushing his ankle with the tip of his shoe, he tried to banish the irrational thought. But as the shadow started gliding forward, out of the darkness, the officer realized this wasn't a figment of his imagination.

The guard watched on as the shadow gave way to showcase a tall, built ghost. The pale blue discolor of his skin sent shivers down his spine. The fangs that skimmed his lips held nothing but evil intent. The ghost continued to saunter forward, in a taunting stroll. The officer started to back away, trying to put space between the two. His back was now pressed against the chilling glass door, but the monster was now closing in on him. In a sly tone, it hissed out two words:

"Going ghost."

* * *

"Sir, it seems you actually have a third account with us, would you like me to see if it's-"

However, before she could finish her sentence, the security guard sailed past and landed on one of the glass coffee tables, shattering it upon impact, along with the quiet of the room. Everyone scampered across the room, shrieking for their lives. Some crouched down for protection; others scattered in hidden nooks of the bank, cowering in the corner.

Dan drifted up to the counter, pushing the old man aside. He looked down at the frightened woman with his haunting red eyes. Her body stiffened with fear - which was the only sign that she was scared - her lips hardened and showed no signs of trembling; her stare stayed blank the entire transaction, and her hands locked onto the edge of her desk as he approached. He had to hand it to her, she had an excellent poker face.

"Hello, I'd like to make a withdrawal."

 _I know a place where the grass is really greener._

Dan's eyes darted to the stereo that mounted the wall, just above the glass window that showcased the frigid fall air that had begun to stir in the small town of Amity. "Wow, this song is really catchy!"

As the teller was pulling out the money-her hands somehow managed to not shake as she pulled several hundred from its designated place- the sound of the elderly man rung out once more."Please, sir, I have a family!"

Dan looked down at the man, a sinister smile found its way across his lips. "So did I, a long time ago. Would you do me a favor, and tell them I said hi." Dan placed the palm of his hand on man's head, summoning up his energy as it began to glow a pale green.

"Stop right there, villain!"

Dan turned his head as he let loose the frightened man. What he saw almost made him laugh. Three people wore red suits with high tech weapons clasped securely in each hand. An eyebrow was raised without a thought, his eyes narrowed in complete bemusement. "What are you supposed to be?"

The three stood proud, placing their balled fist to their waist, along with puffing out their chest in brave pride. "We are Master's Blasters, and we are here to put an end to your rampage!"

Dan froze for a moment, his eyes glancing back at the teller as he gave her a pointed look and aimed a thumb in their general direction."Is this for real? I mean, I cannot take this seriously." Her tense shoulders sagged in the slightest amount as she gave him a nonchalant shrug.

He returned his attention to the three morons. "Just look at you three. You have the jolly red giant with his Billy Ray Cyrus haircut that looks neither business, nor party." The mentioned guy, Download, raised his weapon higher and pointed it at Dan, ready to blast him at a moments notice.

But the halfa ignored his defensive stance."Then you have freckles here with... Wait, are you actually wearing, not just a hat, but a hat backward, with a," — he chuckled a little bit— "hero suit. Seriously, I would say you look like a 90s MTV cartoon, but that would mean you three were at one point a household name which let's be honest, there's probably a reason I haven't heard of you since I've been here."

Thrash was in utter shock, shifting his weight from one leg to the other as his finger played with a few buttons on his weapon. insecurity swallowed his pride. Instantly, his gaze his averted tp the tips of his shoes. "This is getting oddly personal."

"You, though," Dan studied Vid; her eyes narrowed at him, trying to look intimidating as her lips curled in disgust. She gripped her ecto gun tighter in her hands as he gave his analysis of her. "Let me guess, you're the serious one who leads the team and keeps everyone in line by bringing the mood down whenever the dynamic duo here get out of hand? But you also secretly have a soft side you don't tell anyone about, maybe even a secret collection. Let me guess, My Little Pony?"

 _"Don't you dare insult my Dashy!"_

Thrash bolted towards the monster, reeling his arms back to get some power and momentum in his punch. However, before he could land a simple punch, Dan effortlessly caught his fist in mid-air, easily dangling him by the fist. "Bad move, rainbow Thrash."

Thrash looked at Dan in horror as his legs hung in mid-air as he swung his legs about, hoping to slip out of Dan's grip. Blood rushed to his face as he hiccuped for air, trying to fill his lungs, but failing with the strong grip clenched around his neck. "Dear Celestia, no."

"Uppercut."

"Upper what?"

Instantly Thrash was sent flying upwards from Dan's punch, smashing through the ceiling from the pure strength of the throw, causing plaster, wood, and other debris from the building to come crumbling down, leaving a hole in the roof. They could hear the faint words of, "I'm okay," coming from Thrash.

Knowing that their team member was alright, they turned their attention back to Dan, both holding their machines shakily in their hands. Download sent a hard scowl at Dan, a hint of fear festering just beneath the surface of his eyes. "What the heck are you!?"

"Something you're not used to fighting; an actual threat."

The remaining two looked at Dan in awe of his power. Shaking his head, he looked to his teammate. "Yeah, screw this, Vid, play my music!" Vid planted a boom box on the ground and pressed the play button as Kung Fu Fighting began to play.

His eyes glanced between the two, rolling his eyes. "Okay, first off, that has to be the most overused fight song, even in my timeline. Second, were you keeping that?"

Without warning and one blink of an eye, Dan was instantly hit in the jaw by Download but unlike Dan's hits, this did absolutely nothing. His lips parted into a mocking smirk as he remained standing, not in the least bit shaken from the punch. "Now you've made me angry. After the big guy did nothing to me, what made you think that you're 130, 5 foot 3 ass could do anything?"

Download's snarky attitude finally started to dissipate as he realized what he and his team had actually gotten themselves into. "Listen, man. After Vlad shot off into space we need the boost in our image."

"And cash," Vid added shy from behind Download.

Dan just smiled and cracked his knuckles. "I really don't have time for you dumbasses."

* * *

 _Well with the store brand Power Rangers out of the way I think I should splurge on one last meal before I wipe the Fentons off the face of the planet. But where._ Dan looked around to see if anything caught his eye.

With the money in his arms, Dan marched out of the building, phasing through the glass door. Clouds gathered as rain poured directly down on him.

He didn't want food, but ever since his stomach had grumbled in protest, demanding food since the moment he had woken up, he couldn't ignore it, no matter how hard he tried. He tried, he truly did. But his stomach won out in the end.

 _Stupid needs that decided to sprout up after ten years of being a ghost._

As he let his feet lead him to an unknown location, Dan let his eyes wander between places looking for somewhere to grab a bite. "Chinese, no. Mexican, oh yeah cause I totally want the last act of my life to be ruined with heartburn and explosive... Nevermind. Ah, What do we have here? The Rusty Ghost Diner. Now I could go for some good ol' Americana. Just hope they have some decent eggs."

He sat at a secluded worn down booth. Someone handed him a water cup, which he drank. For a couple of minutes, his eyes scanned the old lamented menu, looking for something to catch his eye, when the waitress walked up to him.

"Hello sir, welcome to the Rusty Ghost Diner! Our specials today are: make your own..."

Dan cut off the run-down rehearsed greeting."I'll have two eggs in a poke, and three sausage links." Dan didn't look at her for a second; he just kept his head down in his paper.

Her voice, while a soft melody of a tone, was easy to ignore. "Okay... Two eggs in a poke with three sausage links. Comin' right up."

The waitress had just started to walk away when Dan realized his cup was empty and he could use something bitter to. He glanced at the retreating figure of the waitress. "Miss, can I get a coffee, black?"

He looked up as she turned around, dropping his cup when he saw her face, only to have it shatter as the ground ungracefully caught it. She gave a small jump at the harsh sound that seemed to take over the small diner.

"Sam?"

* * *

Dan walked for a bit, thinking about the waitress. Whoever she was it didn't matter in the long run. This place would never be his home.

Out of nowhere, someone bumped into him, almost tripping him. "Hey, kid, watch where you're going, you little shit."

The kid turned around, ready to apologize when he saw the almost mirror reflection that was Dan. Looking to the left, he sees Sam – this Danny's Sam's – with her eyes widened in shock.

Danny didn't even pause before he jumped into action. "Not today, asshole!" Danny fired a giant plasma blast at Dan, knocking him back almost ten feet.

Scrambling his feet, Dan conjured the anger that flowed through him as he snarled at the halfa in front of him."Well, aren't you smart you little shit. But all that's gonna do is get you hurt." He lunged at Danny and when he was about to make impact, his vision went white.

* * *

When he opened them again he saw the ruins of a large city as the sun was just about to disappear behind the horizon. Smoke and ash floated in the air. The grass was pale, listless. The sky was colored with bland grey and hazy black. Nothing sung with life, nothing scurried across the dead open field. No life. So hollow.

"How the heck did I end up in Detroit?"

Dan looked to the side of the road to see the welcome sign to Amity Park layered in dirt and grime. Understanding came flooding in his mind as he sunk to his knees. "Phew, just an apocalyptic timeline. I was actually worried for a second."

Out of nowhere, a gust of wind swept past Dan, creasing his skin and ruffling his clothing and hair. Scanning the deserted land, he found nothing, but the sense of eyes boring into the back of his head never left. No matter where he turned, how he twisted. "You know, I can sense you so you might as well show yourself."

In a hissing snake-like voice, and the figured stayed lingering in the shadows, the being spoke to Dan. "Who are you?"

Finally being able to locate the disembodied voice, Dan lifted his head, turning to the right of where he stood. "Just a weary traveler looking for salvation," Dan burst out laughing, bending over as he tried to regain his breath."I can't. I'm an asshole trying to get stronger so I can get revenge. Either you can help me or you're in my way."

The being stepped out of the shadows of the dense haze to reveal a starved disfigured Danny Phantom with nearly half of his face covered in scar tissue. "The only thing you will find here is the same everyone else has." His voice would send shivers down anyone else spine, but not Dan's. Very little scared him anymore.

"Death."

Backing away in an ignorant fashion, sarcasm rolling off of him, Dan raised his hands in mock defense. "Woah there, handsome Bob Kane and Bill Finger are gonna sue someone. Seriously what's your tragic origin story? Was there a spill at the panini press factory?"

The scrawny, disfigured Danny lunged at Dan with great speed, leaving a deep cut on his left upper arm. "Alright! The first real challenge since I broke out of that damn thermos. Too bad it falls under self-harm."

This other Danny ran again at Dan only to be grabbed by his throat, lifting him into the air as he scratched at Dan's hands, hoping to be released. But Dan was anything but merciful. "You're a fast little prick."

Dan's hand began to glow around the entirety of his hand. However, unlike the usual electric sizzling green that would usually accompany the plasma, it instead took a whole new shade of color.

Gold.

Dan's eyes widen for a moment. Pure shock overtook him. He finally had it. Finally. "Let's see how you got this way." Dan looked down into this Danny's eyes as the life began to drain from his disfigured face.

"Interesting."

* * *

"Keep firing! He can't make it through! You are the only-" He was silenced as blood exploded from his mouth, spattering against the tar pavement. The lifeless body collapsed to the cold hard ground as his skin instantly went cold.

One of the officers that witness the horrid event fell to his knees beside the officer in charge, tears streaming down his beaten face. "Sarge! You Bastard!" The young man ran toward the pale figure only to have a beam of plasma shot through his chest. Another soldier came up in an effort to aid him. The dying man looked into his eyes. "Please tell my wife that I-."

In an instant, the entire area was consumed by a bright light. When the light had left, a pale figure with white hair and red eyes, translucent pale skin, creaked ecoto green scars contrasted against his skin stood above the ashes that once was the soldiers. "Don't worry. You can tell her yourself in just a few minutes."

"Woah, ominous!"

The pale figure looked up to see Dan looking down on him. His lips curled in a warning, baring his sharpened fangs. "What are you supposed to be, some lame clone Plasmius created to try and stop me?" His eyes narrowed in suspicion as Dan landed. This other timeline Danny's hand inflamed with plasma, in the case that he may need to use it.

"Nope. Just someone passing by, enjoying the view."

One leg shifted forward, prepared to attack this unknown intruder. His face distorts into an angered sneer. Ecto energy consumed his hand in a blazing flame, growing with the anger, using that anger for an outlet to fuel it. Dan could tell he wasn't one to be trifled with. By most people at least, but not him. "Leave me, or I _will_ turn you to dust, like all the rest."

Did this guy really think he was scared of him? Jack Fenton could be more intimidating on days when he didn't have his fudge. "You know, that's quite the plasma blast you have there. Turning people to ash, kind of impressive. Mind if I have a look to see how it's done?" Dan began to lunge at the figure, intending to try to absorb his power, when he was blasted back into the portal and sent to another timeline.

* * *

"Ugh... What the heck happened."

"Oh my gosh, are you okay?"

Dan's vision was still blurry from his fall. "Ugh. Yeah, I think so. Who are you, where am I?" With his vision starting to become clear, Dan straightened from his lying position. He could feel the cushions of a couch holding his weight, and a blanket that covered the entity of the couch.

Looking straight ahead, he spotted another person at the end of the couch. Orange hair, round face, small painted pink lips, and sparkling blue eyes glanced over him with curiosity. "Name's Jazz, who are you?"

Dan looked down to see his human form. Scanning the room, he could see a coffee table just inches away from them, a TV just beyond that pressed against the wall, and a computer desk with a pretty high tech computer that sat in the corner. To his left, he could see the entryway to the kitchen-the kitchen itself was beyond his view. Directly opposite to that on the other side was a hallway, which he assumed led to the bedroom and other rooms.

Neat would be the word to describe the small closed nit apartment. Everything had a place. It wasn't the most expensive place, but it obviously wasn't the cheapest either. No cobwebs hung from the ceilings. No cracks decorated the pale blue walls of the room. The lights didn't flicker on and off every few seconds. The burgundy carpet was kept clean and well matinced. No stains could be seen. "Name's Dan."

She gave a gleaming smile in response to his name. Jumping up, she shuffled over to him, stretching out his hand in a greeting. "Well, nice to meet you Dan, and as far as where you are. You kind of crashed into my apartment."

He didn't understand why, but he decided to take her hand and gave it a firm shake. "Your apartment?" Was she alone? Where was Danny? With his vision coming back into focus, he looked for any pictures that might indicate this timeline's Danny, but came up with nothing; only Maddie and Jack's picture hung on the wall.

She shrugged. "Yeah, It's not much, my parent's pitch in on the rent from time to time. It's an advantage of being an only child." She paused to give him another once over, worry riding along face. "Are you sure you are okay?"

"Oh yeah, I've actually never been better."

 _A world without Danny. I might just stay here and enjoy myself a little bit._ Shifting his legs, he scootched to sit on the end of the couch, rather than take up the whole space.

Jazz quickly left the room. He could hear the faint sound of her rummaging around in the kitchen, cupboards being opened and glasses being set on the counter. She soon returned, a glass of lemonade in her hand, and took a seat next to him on the couch. With one gulp, he chugged the entire drink, letting it pour down his throat to relieve the ache that had taken residence.

She took the empty glass, setting it on the coffee table in front of them, and then returned her attention to the unknown man in her living room. "So did the fall hurt?"

"Eh, I guess I was more or less unconscious, so no."

She nodded in response. "That's good." He didn't realize that she had scootched closer until her arm brushed his own. With her other hand, she brushed a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "So um... Are you single?"

Dan froze for only an instant. _"Nope!"_

With that, Dan popped into another timeline.

* * *

Looking around, it was the dead of night as lights flickered in the middle of an abandoned city. More death, more decay. More emptiness and hardly any sign of life.

His hand ran through his dampened hair, loosening a few droplets of sweat that matted into his hair. "It's just another apocalyptic timeline." His body sagged with relief at happy sight of destruction.

"You! I thought we killed you years ago!"

Dan looked to see a twenty-something-year-old Sam holding a green samurai sword that glowed with ecto-energy wearing torn up purple leggings, a plaid miniskirt, black bandages wrapped around her chest, and spiked bracelets on each arm. Her hair was tied back into a bun. Her figure still had its slim outline, but she was definitely built. The muscles complimented her hourglass figure.

"Fuck, I love this timeline."

"You won't for long asshole."

Sam ripped a knife out of her pocket, gripping it tightly in her hands. With a strength that he didn't know she possessed, she flung it at Dan, cutting his left cheek in the process. Her amethyst eyes narrowed, honing in on him. In a blink, she was mere feet in front of him and he could get a better view of her.

Scars embedded themselves in her usually flawless skin, right on her cheek. Fingerless gloved hands held her sword without fear. The heavy military boots dug deep within the rubble of the earth. She held herself strong and firm, she didn't even waver in her eyes. She knew who she was, and what she could do to him. And a part of him wondered if he apologized right there and then if she'd allow him to stay.

Cradling his wounded cheek, he does his best to keep pressure on the open cut to keep the green liquid from further flowing down his face. "Ugh, why the hell does everyone keep using me as a cutting board today."

The sarcasm that coated her words almost made him chuckle. "Maybe it's because you tried to end the world!"

Removing his hand from his face as the wound started to slowly heal, he averted his eyes from his glove — knowing that it would be coated in green blood— and kept his eyes trained on Sam. The anger that radiated from her would be enough to make an average man quiver in his boots. She was the definition of fierce. "You know, I think I'm starting to sense a theme here."

Without so much as a warning, she was mere inches away from him, punching him in the gut, nearly knocking the wind out from him. Her lips curled into a harden snarl. "That was for Tucker!"

She knocked him to the side next, causing him to almost fall on his ass. Why he hadn't fought back yet, he didn't know. "That was for Valerie!"

She then kicked him in the groin, making him fall to his knees. He looked up at her, eyes almost shut together from the sheer pain her kick had given. He wouldn't let the tears out though. That's what she wanted. "What was that one for?"

She grabbed at the collar of his suit, pulling his face just centimeters from her, her hot breath washing over his face. "Leaving me at the altar, _while pregnan_ t! I'll tell DJ and Danielle that you said hi though."

Dan couldn't help but wonder what exactly happened to Danny to make him abandon his almost future wife and their kids. He might be a sadistic evil ghost himself, but he would never leave someone pregnant, at the altar. Especially if that person at the altar was Sam. _What the hell Danny!?_

As her hands released his collar, he tumbled back to the unforgiving cold ground. "The best part about this day? I get to kill you all over again."

 _Damn, that's hot. I'm so conflicted right now._

She raised her sword, ready to slash it through his neck. "Say goodbye, Danny!"

The only time he would let fear subdue him would be of course, at the hands of Sam Manson. Of course, she would be his undoing. Unknown to him, as the fear bubbled up, Dan's hand began to glow as a portal opened beneath him. It didn't even register with him as until he was falling through the portal that he didn't feel the blade of her weapon.

"Why do I keep falling!"

* * *

"Why is there so much green!"

Vines twisted intertwined around his body, suspending him in the air. Nothing but green colored his sight. Vines, trees, and everything vegetation covered the entire ground, not leaving an inch of pavement to be seen. A lighter shade of green reflected from the plants that masked the ground to the glowing evening sky-or at the very least, he guessed that it was evening from the setting sun that was tinged yet again, with green— the color was completely overused— and almost brought a burning pain to Dan's eyes.

The forest below gave way to a slim looking silhouette with glowing green eyes that spoke in a smooth sensual voice. It sent tingles down his spine in a way his ghost sense could never do. Only one word came to mind when his eyes set on her and he heard her voice: Seductive.

She eyed him as if she was a hungry predator and he was her prey. "Hello Daniel, it's been awhile. I love what you did with your hair." A gloved hand came out of the darkness and glides along the wound on his cheek, healing it. "Is someone giving my hero trouble across the sea?"

The voice, no matter how melodically it glided out of her mouth, no matter how irresistible and silky it was, there was still a familiar undertone buried deep within it. "Sam?"

The figure sauntered out of the shadows to show Sam wearing a dark green organic dress covering most of her figure. Vines wrapped around her legs and arms. Her hair hung nearly down to her knees. Her eyes gleamed with unashamed happiness as her lips stretched into a mockingly playful smile. "Aww, sweetie, I know it's been a while with you ruling your third, but have you really forgotten what I look like?"

"No... I just-"

She placed her index finger over his lips and gave him a sly smirk while her other hand trails up the cheek, swallowing the spit that had forged hits way up. "It's okay my sweet nectar, I know how to get you to remember."

 _"What the hell are you doing with my girl?!"_

 _Damn it!_

Suddenly a slightly leaner version of Danny floated down from the forest above. He looked much like himself, not too much of a difference minus the body build. When he landed on the vines he stalked forward, glaring at him the entire time. Sam had left and floated over to this time Danny, wrapping her arms around his waist, laying her head on his shoulder.

After he placed a kiss on Sam's head, his head turned around, his eyes seeing something that Dan's sight couldn't capture yet buried deep within the tall thick vines. "Danielle sweetie, can you do Mommy and Daddy a favor and see why our guest is here?"

"No problem, Daddy."

A new version of Danielle, dressed much like her mother, expect her raven black hair had more of a flame sway to it— much like her dad— floated down in front of Dan. Her electric green eyes somehow had a tint of red hue layer mixed within her mother's eyes.

The smile she gave was unsettling, even to him. "Well hello there. I didn't know my father had an evil twin, but then again how much more evil can you get?"

His eyes narrowed as he squirmed, trying to break free of the chains wrapped around his body. It didn't do much, only made the vines tightened around his muscles. "Trust me, I'm no one's copy."

One look at this Danielle and Dan knew she was not made of a clone. From the way Sam..well... just the way she presented herself was something Dan never knew that woman could do. Add that with the fact that she had a few more features of Sam than the clone did.

She brought her hands in front of her, shaking them in mock horror. "Ooh, I'm so afraid, what are you going do muscles, throw a dumbbell at us?" The sinister laugh that escaped her lips was so very Danny that it brought a hint of fear to the back of Dan's mind. How evil could Danielle be?

"So, what is this here, did Sam finally get all the signature on her Save the Forest petition?"

Sam, who had joined in her daughter's laughter, had now subsided as she curled her fingers into her palm and brought it up to her chin to rest it on her hand. "That's cute, he has no clue where he is. No, those days have passed. All that ever did was waste the precious resources we were trying to save. When Undergrowth attacked, he tried to take over my mind; what he didn't expect was my strong will. Oh, the arrogance that plagues their kind."

"Ghost?"

Sam chuckled. "Men, " — she looked to Danny with a devilish smile — "At least most of them. Now you stand in the heart of the Great American forest. Now, I have told you mine, how about you tell us yours?"

Figuring that he wasn't getting out of the vines that trapped him anytime soon, he sighed and relented. "Yeah, alternate timeline, dead parents, destroyer of nations. Name's Dan by the way."

Danny smile. "Hmm, that kind of does have a certain ring to it, doesn't it?"

"So, what are you exactly?"

Danny gave a tired shrug. Dan tried to repress a gag as Sam started running her fingers through her partner's wild snowy hair. "Well, I am the ruler of my third of the earth. Europe and Asia." Danny tightened his hold around her waist. "I have the best Chinese and Chocolate to offer my beautiful Queen and Princess here. And our little on that's on the way." His hand passed seemingly over Sam's stomach, implying the baby that resided there.

Danielle, while looking sixteen, was a child at heart, even in this timeline, as she bounced from vine to vine, keeping herself levaited before her feet could make an impact on the green growth. A soulless smile never lifting from her mouth."You would think with my mom turning half the world into nonstop forest, mother nature would be nice to me every month."

Sam loosened Danny's grip from her waist, going to stand behind standing behind Danielle to place her hands upon her daughter's shoulders. "You know, Uncle Tuck has the technology to fix that little problem."

She glanced back at her mother, grimace playing on her face. "Yeah. No thanks, like I would be anyone's experiment."

Sam tilted her head to the side in acknowledgment. "Suit yourself. Now back to our visitor."

Danny looked to the vines to see the trap empty.

"Son of a..."

* * *

"Bitch"

A shiver trembled through Dan as he exited the portal. It took a few moments to adjust and to realize his surroundings. He soon realized he was floating in the cold vacuum of space. Peering around him, he saw giant chunks of rubble floating where the earth should be. All his cockiness melted away at the sight. He wasn't afraid, because he didn't get scared. He hadn't for a long time. But this was something to behold. It was unnerving in an unexplainable way.

"What the hell happened here?"

"You did."

Dan spun around to see a badly beaten Box Ghost. Ecto-plasm seeped through thin cracks in his pale blue skin. His eyes were dead, void of any life, much like the space they floated in."What? I didn't do this. I couldn't. No one has this much power." _Don't let fear show. Don't let it control you, you control it._ No matter how hard he tried, breathing had become a hard task to do. How? How could this have happened?

The Box Ghost looked on, way past the halfa, to the emptiness of space; as if there was something worthy of seeing. "You exist in more than one timeline, you caused this timeline's Danny to bring an end to the world. An explosion. It's funny, ironic really. This world went up in an explosion, just like you almost made yours. Only it didn't happen by your hand."

"What explosion? What caused this?"

"I was watching his infant son, Danny junior while Danny was away and Sam Danielle. I hadn't been evil for a while at that time, and they even trusted me enough to babysit. Then Vlad came. He hadn't been back to earth for over 15 years but when he did no one could match his power. He sucked me into Pandora's box to listen to what came next. He waited for the three of them to get home and when they did he slaughtered them all as Danny was forced to watch, powerless against Vlads might. When Vlad took the final blow at DJ Danny lost it. His scream is something I will never forget. The next thing I know Pandora's box broke open and when I came out there was nothing left. He lost everything and in his anger and grief, he had destroyed the entire planet and everyone on it."

For the first time in nearly a decade, Dan had fear written on his face, and he couldn't mask it, no matter how hard he tried. "He did all this?"

He nodded. "You'd be surprised what even the best people can do when they lose everything."

Dan's hand began to glow as he traveled back to see how this Danny was before the loss of his family. To Dan's surprise, he was completely normal. Nothing crude or evil about him. He even saw statues of him being put up after the Anti-ghost asteroid.

"They all love him. He kills every single one of them, and they have no clue what's to come. I can't watch any more of this." Dan opened another portal leaving this Earth to its fate. Even he couldn't handle this much destruction.

He opened his eyes to see Amity Park in a hue of orange as the ground below him shook. Above he could see black clouds producing purple lighting. He could almost smell the destruction that lingered in the air.

"What the hell is going on?"

Suddenly he was lifted to the sky as the ground beneath him pulled from the earth. Looking around, he began to see chunks of dirt and random debris fly upward as if being pulled by some unseen force. He was lifted higher and higher. He tried to move but his feet were too firmly pressed on the ascending ground.

It was absolutely terrifying. A horrid smile played on his lips.

"Perfect."

The anger that he had felt when he saw his weaker self, he gathered it in his entire being, and once again, white took over his vision as he landed flat on the ground, the sky once again its normal blue. With no sight of his younger self, he walked over to the newspaper stand in front of the diner. Reading the date, Dan's already sinister grin only widened, as he saw he had been gone an entire week.

* * *

 **His life was worth nothing anymore. And neither were theirs. It was time to end what destruction Danny could do to the world. To what they could do the world. He might not be able to rid every Danny that existed in the timelines, but he would get rid of this Danny— along with himself— No more evil.**

"For all, you have done and all you will do. I will wipe you from this earth like the stain you are. For all the people you have killed. For everyone, you will kill. For everything, you took from me just so I could lose it again. You took my world, and I thought I had a new one. I have nothing now."

 _You don't have to kill him. He wasn't the one that killed her_. While the voice in his head was right in that sense, life wasn't worth living without her, and if he was going out, he was going to take Danny Phantom out with him.

 _Shut up, I killed the guy for Izzy. If Danny didn't want this to happen, then he shouldn't have messed with my timeline in the first place. I'm not living without her. He's the reason this is happening._

Vlad's voice flooded into his mind. _He deserves this. He took your timeline from you in the first place. If it hadn't been for that, you wouldn't have met Izzy. You wouldn't have to go through that pain again._ And yes, it may have been a messy justification. But Vlad was right. The other one didn't know pain. At least Vlad one had a _slight_ idea.

"Soon, you will too, but you will be first so you may never become the monster you are destined to be when I let the other join you in oblivion. When I first came here, all I wanted was to get rid of you for the sake of revenge. But now, after finding the one person that could actually make me human again, and losing her like the rest, I realized one thing: We are a disease that needs to be cleansed. For all humanity."

* * *

 **Oh Dan Dan. He wasn't the one that killed her, come on! Just because you think you're justicefied, doesn't mean you are. Lets see how this all pans out next chapter, shall we? Shoutout to my beta reader, silente faery**


	28. Chapter 27

**Chapter 27! The means to an end. This will be will be a two parter. (There will be an epilogue afterwards) I can't believe this is almost over. My breaking heart. But that just means that I'll be working on the third story soon. Before I post the first chapter of that story, I'll be finished with the revisions for this one! I can't wait. Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom, Nickelodeon does.**

* * *

Darkness covered his vision. Minutes passed before Danny realized, it was that of his own eyelids blocking his view. He forced his eyes to part, then blinked rapidly as to see the weak sunlight poking through the window of the living room of the Manson mansion. The large room remained still, while dust bunnies danced in the line of his sight. The ceiling quickly returned to its rightful place instead of spinning dizzily around. Not a breath could be heard as Danny laid there, letting his strength return.

"What the heck happened?"

Shifting his eyes to the side, his heart slowly began to descend into the pits of his stomach. His mom sat in a wooden chair next to the couch that he was on; his entire body took up the space of the typically spacious sofa. His mom was hunched over, her head sagging into the palms of her hands and her hair was unruly and knotted into a bunched mess. Her clothing was a disheveled mess.

At the sound of his voice, her head snapped up, and with on leap from the chair, she was kneeling next to him, combing her fingers through his hair. By the dark discoloration that had formed its way underneath her eyes, spoke a quiet story of a long night with no sleep for the worried mother. The air instantly transformed, screaming with an unspoken tension clouding everything else in the room.

Maddie said. "You fainted sweetie. You also changed color."

Every nerve in his body was numbed with sleep. He couldn't push himself up; as hard as he tried, it only proved worse. His bones would groan in protest with the slightest pressure to sit up. He had to give it a few more minutes to let his healing to kick in.

"What, like a tan?"

A frown jumped on her face and settled as her fingers continued to sweep through his hair. A pinch of horror flickered across her azure eyes at the memory as she slowly got the words out. "No, more like a cool. Like corpse blue. To be more specific... Dan blue." Her eyes started to search his face, almost looking for his reaction, but found nothing as he continued to stay still.

Danny could tell whatever else she wanted to say, sat at the very edge of her mouth, but she wouldn't let it flow out. She hastily opened and snapped her jaw together before she could find a new subject to approach. "Whatever happened, it didn't just happen to you: Sam's out cold too, so is Lilith."

As his energy started to flow through his veins, waking every bone, muscle, and vein in his body. Struggling to prop himself up on to his elbows, Danny did his best to do so, hissing through clenched teeth as the pain invaded him. Maddie moved back, as to give her son some room. "This is not good. This has to be Dan."

With the small space between them, Maddie kept her arms stretched out towards Danny, in the case that he needed her support. "Are you okay, sweetie?"

He nodded. "Yeah, my strength is really starting to come back. Where are Sam and Lilith?"

Her eyes averted to the staircase. "They're upstairs. Danielle is watching after Lilith and Pam is Sam."

Twenty minutes later, Pamela scampered down to the main living room, the clicking of her heels breaking the silence that had clouded over the mother and son duo. Taking a seat next to Maddie, who was now on the couch, she crossed her leg over her knee, folding her hands together on her lap.

Pamela locked her gaze with the two. "Sam's awake and feeling better. Danielle won't let her come down yet, not for at least a few more minutes. And I thought Sam was _her_ mom. Kids these days." The chuckle she gave helped alleviate the tension that was building on her shoulders. "So, what do we think happened?"

Danny's eyes went straight to the window that mirrored the outside. Clouds began to dampen the sky, banishing the sun."I'm not sure, but I think it's pretty weird, even for this family."

Suddenly, the large mansion began to shake as dishes fell from their resting place, scattering wildleslly as they clash against the hardwood floor. Everyone jumped to their feet as the wooden floor began to rattle underneath their feet. Footsteps echoed the hallway from upstairs as the three girls stormed out of the room, all three panic-stricken at the sudden rattles. All five huddled together, clinging for protection.

Sam's eyes bored into the side of his head. "Earthquake? In Illinois?"

His eyes never left the bay window, his face became barren. No emotion sang in his tone. Not even fear. "No, that's Dan."

The clouds that had just moments ago hidden the sun from view was now changing once more above the Nasty Burger, turning into pitch black puffs of emptiness.

That was when the anger overtook his entire face, blinding him to everything and everyone around him. "It's time. This madness ends today. We need a plan. So what do we have?"

Darting outside with the girls behind him, Danny ran in the direction of where the destruction had begun to stir when he collided with a body. Cranking his neck up, he was met with the view of his sister, and Roy.

Both were carrying what looked to be an updated version of the Specter Deflector. This version, however, was heavier in size and thicker in length. The nuts and bolt were held seamlessly together, fitting perfectly. It was put cleanly together. Not a spot hinted at weakness in the device. Leave it to them to put something so high tech together in under an hour.

He asked them, "What are you two doing? Where are Dad, Valerie, and Tucker?"

His sister gave him a pointed look. "Well, we were all at home, Dad is trailing behind us, and I don't know where Tucker went off to. He was at the house one second, then gone the next when those clouds started to appear. To answer your first question, Roy and I have been working on something while we were at college to help out with this Duplicate"—she would never call Dan anything closely related to her brother's name, he would never live up to Danny— "situation. It hasn't been ready till now and is technically never been tested, but it still might work. Plus I have something a little extra to help you out."

Jazz pointed to Roy, striking a dramatic pose, which caused the young technologist to chuckle lovingly at his girlfriend. "Roy... Do it!"

"Yes, Ma'am."

Roy pressed a button on his watch as Jazz's belt began to expand, slowly swallowing her figure until all that that could be seen was a shiny black metal with green wires outlined all over the suit along with her own pair of green goggles. It soon fitted perfectly to her figure.

"What does that do?" Maddie asked, taking a step forward to examine the new outfit more closely. Her fingers ran along the seams of the outfit.

Holding the belt proudly, Jazz's lips stretched further. "This brings up every street camera and cell phone call in a 10-mile radius and filters them out for emergency situations. Whatever is going on you all will take care of it while Valerie, Roy and I will keep the citizens safe from the destruction. Sam." The goth directed her gaze to her future sister in law. "As much as I know you don't want to, there are two things. You're still very weak from passing out, and we need the Fenton phones with the thing we're working on, and out of all of us, you know how they operate the best."

She rolled her eyes, but nodded in agreement. Sam started to spin on the balls of her feet as she noticed someone was missing. "Where's Lilith?"

* * *

 _"Sir, if you wanted extra sauce packets, all you had to do was ask! Is this about the ice cream machine being broken? Because we were going to to get someone in to fix it next week."_

Dan gazed down at the frightened worker. Parting his lips, he bore his teeth to showcase his razor fangs in a hasty warning. "Leave now, before I turn you to ash."

The cashier didn't waste a moment before jumping over the counter, tearing his apron off and work hat, and bursting through the glass doors that lead out of the eating establishment. "You got it, Mr. Minimum wage ain't worth this!"

The rest of the citizens ran for cover. Ducking under cars, taking shelter inside intact buildings. From the distance of where he floated, they looked like tiny ants, all scampering for their lives. It was quite… pleasing.

He was waiting. He was ready to rid the world of Danny Fenton. "The time of me chasing you is through. Now _you_ come to _me_." Dan raised his hand as it began to glow a sickly mixture of orange with lime green spirals orbiting around it. The sky above began changes to a vivid orange as it inked over Amity Park. Clouds turned pitch black as violet lightning struck the earth. The ground itself began to rise to the skies. Reality itself was breaking. Dan looked at his destruction with a smile.

"Uncle!"

Dan looked down to see young Lilith standing in front of the Nasty Burger in her human form. The wind took hold of her silky black strands of her hair, dirt, and bits of rocks being mixed in while it thrashed about, almost masking her face in the process.

He froze as his eyes landed on Lilith. Annoyance mixed in with anger, he barked, "Go home, child! Enjoy the time you have left to exist."

Her voice was barely audible as she raised her hands to cup around the edge of her mouth, hoping to be heard over the roar of the wind as it started to grow. "Please uncle, don't do this."

His upper lip scrunched in anger as he heard the title she called him. His body trembled, veins scaled the side of his neck, up to his forehead and trickled down the other side of his body. Acid sat on the surface of his tongue, as the words rolled out of his mouth. "Stop calling me that!"

"Think of Izzy, think of your child!"

Dan's eye began to twitch, crows feet started to sprout at the end of his eye as black tears slip, gliding down his cheek from his eyes once more. "I only think of them. Now leave."

Dan slowly clenched his fist and the ground around the Nasty Burger shook with unmeasurable force. Before Lilith had the chance to bat an eye, a wave of energy punched her, knocking her on her back, creating a giant crater nearly half a block in size around the remains of the remodeled Nasty Burger. Lilith laid at the bottom of the crater badly bruised, but still conscious.

The wind started to pick up, sweeping the gravel of rocks and debris with it creating a shield as it began to form a dome-like structure around them.

Dan's eyes narrowed in disgust as he wrapped chains around her just as he did to her mother the first time he had been in the dreadful timeline. "Stay down, child. It's not your time."

Hastened footsteps could be heard faintly against the wind that incased the two. Dan's eyes locked onto the space ahead as he saw several silhouettes fastly approaching. Soon enough, Danny and the rest of his family were in full view. "Enough! This has gone on for too long! It's time for this to end!"

"I couldn't agree more, Daniel."

Dan lounged at Danny with a plasma blade ready to pierce his throat. His sight became blinded by rage. He let out a high pitched scream that formed from his gut, but it didn't register in his mind as it reached the people in front of him. He didn't see the destruction, nor did he see the way Danny's head go to the side, calling out to someone.

 _"Now!"_

Danielle phased out of the ground, and before he could continue onward, gripped onto Dan's waist and attached a large Specter Deflector to the now stilled halfa. Dan screamed as the device was activated and he forcefully reverted back into his human form.

The dome immediately dissipated. Everything came to a calming stop as the world seemed to take in a deep breath of air, knowing Dan had been taken care of. Everything was weightless again as everything became right.

Danny helped his daughter off the weakened ghost before Dan could find his bearings to attack her, at least physically, not that he was a match for her without his powers. "Danielle, go check on your sister."

Dan's knees melted to the ground. The moment Danielle was lifted from him, his eyes trained on Danny. His clothing was ripped, with the holes blowing slightly in his shirt, along with the seams of his jeans almost to shreds. Hair curled around his face as it fell out of its ponytail and laid on his shoulders. His face remained blank, and his lips showed nothing. His eyes stayed barren.

Danny walked up to Dan, a victorious smirk playing on his face. "Not so tough without your powers, are you, Dan?"

Dan responded only in silence as he glared at Danny. Reaching her sister, Danielle helped her to her feet. Seeing her sister's appearance almost made Danielle heave her lunch. Her hair was matted with dirt, and blood trailed the length of her chin. Bruises were imprinted on several areas over her arms and face. Her upper lip was completely busted. Danielle stood firm as Lilith's entire body sagged against her as her energy slowly started to pour back in onto Lilith. Sleep littered her sister's eyes. But Danielle knew she was refusing the demanding need.

However, before she could take in more of her sister's beaten attire, Danielle noticed that Lilith seemed elsewhere and that she was focused on something unseen. With her head tilted upward, her eyes stayed locked onto the orange hue of the sky. "The sky. Look at the sky."

Danielle followed Lilith's gaze up at the sky noting that even though Dan was without his powers the sky did not change back into its normal blue. Her breath hitched in her chest before she could force it pass her lips as realization dawned on her: This had been too easy.

She whirled around, her eyes settling on her dad, who was a few inches apart from Dan, gloating at the victory that he thought he had won.

 _"Dad, it's a trap!"_

Dan phased through the Specter Deflector and grabbed Danny by the throat, killing the eighteen-year old's air supply. With one swing of his arm, Dan slammed the halfa into the ground, causing cracks from bones to be heard. Coughing up plasma, Danny gripped his torso as he stumbled to his feet.

Before he could rid himself of the dizziness that had formed, Danny was lifted high into the air, his collar in the clutches of an angred ghost. He threw Danny into the air, sending a swift kick to his jaw. Clutching Danny's arm once more, Dan slammed him against a nearby building, breaking cracking each bone in his left arm. He smiled on as Danny slid down the wall; pain was the only thing that carried through his head.

Dan's black aura wrapping around him, transforming him once again into the black flame black-eyed version of Dan that had been unleashed upon Izzy's death. In a voice that almost echoed, he spoke, "Foolish child, you never learned to grow. I have known how to undo anything with the name Fenton on it."

"How about a Foley!"

In an instant, Tucker had knocked Dan to the ground, kicking up more dust and rubble from the ground as Dan was shoved deeper into the ground, dismayed. Danny looked up to see Tucker buffed out with familiar green skin, and pointy ears.

Danny's jaw dropped, along with everyone else. His eyes widen with shock, his body is rooted to the spot as he took in his best friend's new look. His words came out in hiccups as he tried to grasp the air. "What...when...How!?"

Tucker carelessly lifted one side of his shoulder in a short shrug. "Long story short, Desiree owed me and Danielle a favor. Don't worry though, it only lasts 12 hours. Without the side effects."

Just as his words trailed off, Jack came running up, bending over and huffing as he did his best to refill his lungs.

Danny asked, "Where were you?"

With lungs inflated with a decent amount of air, Jack stood more on more steadily on his feet. "Helping Tucker track Desiree down," he breathed out. "You do _not_ want to know how hard it was to find her."

Not even moments later, Dan picked himself back up, wobbling as he tried to plant his feet back into the soil. "Don't worry Foley, I'll be through with you long before that."

Danielle flew to Tucker and Danny as soon as she made sure Lilith was safe until she could heal. "Green's a good color on you, pookums." Her eyes narrowed as a revengeful smirk took its place on her lips. " Now, how about we make Dan black and blue."

Danny paused as he gave the two of them a dirty look, sticking his tongue out, gagging. "And you used to call me cheesy."

The three stood side by side ready for anything Dan could throw at them. Dan gave them another one of his toothy grins.

"Time out."

The world around Dan had frozen. Rubble halted in the air, lighting mid-strike. Dan floated to the three, blade once again at the ready. "No more Nasty Burger, no more Fenton."

Dan was once again knocked to the side, revealing Lilith holding up her still smoking hand. The frizzle of the flame kissed the tips of her fingers. Her face was set in anger, but a silent plea hinted in her amethyst eyes. Her lips parted as she inhaled shallow breaths. The scowl that rippled onto her mouth spread through her entire face. Her eyebrows arched, nose flared as she tried to keep the anger at bay.

His lips pressed against his teeth in a scowl; rage started to boil through his veins, coursing throughout."You can't stop this girl! He needs to die and you know it! There is no other way!"

The plea in her eyes blossomed and expanded onto her face as her lips curved into a small pout. Dan knew in that moment, she was drained. She just wanted this to end. "You don't know that! What happened to you won't happen to him! How many times do I have to tell you that!"

In one last warning, Dan emitted a growl, putting one leg in front of the other as he started to approach her. "I'm tired of this argument! Go back to where you came from, child!" Dan pointed his hand at Lilith as it glowed gold once more.

Lilith raised her hand as well in the same manner as they both began to tremble, summoning the power from the trinket that hung around her neck. Lilith could only hope it was enough as their energies met in the middle, battling it out in strength.

"Stop fighting this. He can't be saved!"

Her body began to tremble as the energy became too much. Her body wouldn't be able to handle much more of this. "I'll never give up on him. That's what it means to be a Fenton! Or have you forgotten that after all this time!"

The flames of his hair danced on the trails of the wind as he pushed his body further, doing everything to overpower Lilith. "I'm no Fenton! I'm a disease that needs to be wiped from existence, the same as your father! If your dad had just kept me in my timeline as it was supposed to be, this wouldn't be happening."

Reality around them began to warp even further than what it had before as bolts of electricity began to appear around them. A light began to form between the two as a large wave swept over all of Amity, knocking both halfa's onto their butts, resuming time once more. Looking to their left, they saw one of the newest Fenton inventions; one where if a ghost was using too much energy at once, it'd shock them, causing them to be unstable for a few minutes to be detained.

Dan easily got back on his feet only to be shot by a bolt of energy. Looking at the source, Dan saw Jack holding a plasma rifle standing at the crater. "Danny, you are _grounded,_ mister! Your hair is far too long and your room far too messy!" He paused as an afterthought entered his mind. "Oh, and for trying to kill us too!" He fired once again at Dan, knowing very well the blast wouldn't be enough to actually kill him. Dan easily evaded this shot, while giving Jack an annoyed look.

"You aren't worth my time, old man." Dan raised his glowing hand at Jack as he disappeared out of existence.

 _"Dad!"_

 _"Grandpa!"_

Danny's hair began to glow as it combusted into white flames. His skin somehow was even paler than before; cracks riddled his skin inch by inch with every second that passed. He looked at Dan with exploding red eyes. _"You monster!"_

Danny lunged at Dan in a moment of pure adrenaline and rage. Dan once again caught Danny in midair making sure not to let go this time. "Don't make me laugh, kid. You know nothing of pain."

Before Dan could make any attempt to strike Danny, Tucker and Danielle formed electric stingers made of their plasma. And with Dan distracted, snapped it around his free arm causing him to yell in pain and drop Danny.

 _"Stop!"_ He gritted out through his teeth as the pain traveled the length of his arm until it spread out through his body. Dan continued to scream out in pain as the arm that held Danny began to leak green ecto. Through the cracks in his eyes, he could see Danny regaining himself, soon his hand is on the arm that was leaking fluid, further breaking it. "Fuck!"

"You killed my Dad!"

Danny squeezed even harder on Dan's broken arm, putting him in extreme pain. _"You'll pay for that!"_

Danny punched Dan to the ground, creating a smaller crater within the larger one. Danny flew down in an instant, kneeling on top of Dan punching him again and again, causing blood, ectoplasm, and teeth to spill over his mouth and to splatter the ground and to seep into his hair. "You killed my Dad! You tried to kill my Mom! My best friend! My future wife and our daughters! All for some stupid stupid vendetta! You don't deserve it! You don't deserve to be happy! You don't deserve their love! _You let them die!"_

The anger in Dan's face nearly melted away. "Do it, Fenton! Once you go down this path, there's no stopping! You'll hurt everyone you ever loved. One by one, they will turn to ashes while you live. You think me killing you is evil? No, it's a gift to the world."

Danny produced a shaky plasma blade from his hand. "I don't care... You killed my Dad."

 _"Dad!_ Fight it!" Lilith screamed.

"He's not worth it, man!" Tucker echoed alongside her.

Danny didn't care though; his eyes held no mercy as he looked down at the bloody and badly beaten Dan. Just as he was about to make the finishing blow he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"Dad," Danielle weakly whispered, tears prickling at the edge of her eyes. "A long time ago, I didn't know who I was. I thought because I was made in a lab that I was just another one of Vlad's monsters. You were the one who was there for me, even in the beginning. You made me realize that I wasn't just human, I belonged. And no matter how much we lose, no one can take that away from us. Please, Dad... you're not a monster either."

Tears of his own begin to fall down Danny's still scorned face as the plasma blade retreated back into his being. "Lilith, restrain him."

Lilith pointed her hand at Dan as his hands radiated a faint gold. Her eyes locked onto her dad's. "I'm still weak; it won't last for too long."

Danny sat down next to the rest of his family to collect himself before containing Dan. He needed a moment to let everything settle around him. With the battle won, he needed a moment of peace.

 _Good job, Dan. You really showed him._

 _Shut up, Plasmius._

 _What, I'm just trying to have a friendly conversation. Shouldn't we get along if we are going to be spending eternity together in another one of those ridiculous thermoses?_

 _He should have just killed me._

 _Wow, glad to see your spirit is at an all-time high. Tell you what kid. you give me fifteen minutes in the driver's seat and I will fix this mess you made. Then if you want, you can go jump off a bridge or something_.

Dan's mind was filled with silence for a time.

 _There is no other way. He will ruin countless lives and turn this world into a living nightmare. Ask yourself, would Izzy really want that?_

A look of pure hate was plastered on Dan's face. _Just get it over with._

Danielle had held her dad nonstop ever since he walked away from Dan. "It's over. Grandma is bringing Lilith's Thermos. When she gets here, we can put him away for good and you will never have to see him ever again."

Danny's blank stare stayed trained in front of him. "I just can't believe he's gone. Just in a moment."

She nodded, brimmed around her eyes, threatening to spill. "I'm sure he's looking down at us with pride that you made the right choice."

He shifted his gaze to look at his daughter. "How are you taking it?"

She mustered her best smile that was able to. "I'm fine, daddy. It'll probably all hit me later, but I'll be okay. I have you guys after all."

"What are we going to tell your grandma?"

"I'm not sure but-" Danielle was disrupted when bolts of lightning had erupted out of Dan's hand."Lilith, what's happening?"

The hold she had on Dan began to flicker, her eyes glossed over with uncertainty. "I don't know. One moment he's weak and can barely move, and now he is giving me the fight of my life just to keep him still."

Lilith was knocked back as the energy restraining Dan disappeared.

A sinister grin festered itself onto Dan's lips. "Hello, little Badger! How about we bring someone new to this little play date of ours?"

All of them rushed towards him, trying to stop whatever he had planned but were all pushed back by Dan's power. A black hole like object opened up nearly sucking everything inside of it, pipes, bricks, and all unimportant objects shot past them. They all tried to look back as they held onto the remains of Nasty Burgers Plumbing system as not to be sucked into the hole.

From the hole came a black mist that filled the entire crater. The Vlad that possessed Dan spoke. "Danielle sweetie, do me a favor and play nice with your sister."

Danielle could recognize Vlad's voice coming from Dan. Anger ignited in her blood, setting a flaming path throughout her veins. "I won't do anything of the sort! You're nothing to me!"

He looked down at her. The grin spread further. "Oh sweetie, I wasn't talking to you."

The black hole closed and the mist began to retract to the center of the crater to reveal the same slim humanoid figure wearing a faded and torn black and white robe with its hood up, only showing its razor sharp teeth, burning white hair and a single glowing red eye that stared at the remaining Fenton's.

"Hello there, _family."_

* * *

 **Oh, I almost forgot, I have updated my profiles, and I'm keeping track of the stories that I have. Definitely check it out so you know what is coming up, and when. Shoutout to my beta reader, silente faery**


	29. Chapter 28

**Ch. 28! I don't want to keep you guys to long, so I'll let you just read. Please review, it really encourages me. Thank you! Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom, Nickelodeon does.**

* * *

"What the heck is that thing!"

Whatever the thing was, it inched closer, slithering on the feeble wind until it stood only several feet away. Its hissing tone reminded Danielle of nails to a chalkboard: Unnatural and repulsive. The shivers that ran down the length of her only fed her panic.

The thing spoke. "Oh, dear sister. How young you look. I haven't seen that face for nearly a decade."

Her eyes immediately flew to Dan as he stood there; nothing but obnoxious pride stained his face. The grin he wore absorbed his entire face, leaving nothing but evil intent in its place.

Danny glanced between the two ghosts, confusion underlying the surface of his eyes. He had never seen anything like this before, and as his body started to quiver in fear, he did his best to keep his composure. "What is this, Dan!"

However, the voice that spoke was, without a doubt, not Dan's. It was a voice that haunted Danielle's nightmares, and the unconscious parts of her brain. A voice, that while she had grown strong being away from, could never truly forget. "Oh, my dear children, this is your reckoning. I have been trapped inside this fool as he leached off my powers. I let him into my home and your world has finally made him desperate enough to give up control. She is here to make sure that the Fenton family tree gets cut down and uprooted once and for all."

He paused and let loose a terrifying smile. His now red eyes gleamed with triumph as everyone stood, helpless. They were uncertain of what to do, or how to even attack with this new creature. _You see Danny, all you needed was for uncle Vlad to give you a helping han_ d.

 _Shut up and do what you need to do!'_

 _Oh no Daniel, I no longer take orders from you. I am in charge now! You were too weak to get the job done_.

The tone of Vlad that filtered through Dan was unsettling in the most horrid way. Everyone remained frozen as they tried to calculate their next move. It boomed with authority, causing the air to become stale. "DNA!"

The sickly looking figure twisted her head around to face Dan, or Vlad in more accurate terms -to the point where if it were a human, would have snapped the neck in its position- and bore her teeth in the means of a smile; all the while her cloak stayed in place.

Vlad's voice picked up, piercing through the circling winds that ruffled everything about. "Kill them all."

Her mouth parted further with a crackling laugh as she threw her head back in joy. "With pleasure." The disturbing being stretched out its unnaturally long arms to show razor-sharp claws. "It's been so long since I had anything to play with. Come and play with me, big brother!"

"Big brother?" Danny asked in a confused voice, his eyes sweeping between his family and the thing in front of them. The faint wind began to pick once more up, ruffling clothes, hair, and all the mess that laid on the broken ground.

DNA lounged at Danny, piercing one of her long claws clear through his left shoulder blade as he screamed in pain. She brought her face inches from his, stared directly into his eyes, letting him see the emptiness of her soul. The fear that radiated off him from what he saw only engaged her more as he squirmed in pain.

"See, aren't we having fun?"

Danielle attempted to punch the sickly creature, intending to get her to release Danny, but instead of making contact with DNA, her hand only hit smoke. All eyes scanned their surroundings, finding nothing but the destruction that had been caused by Dan.

She reappeared seconds later; nothing but darkness, hate, and rage surged in the unmasked eye. The edge of her lips wrinkled into a set frown. It delivered a harsh chill to the bone to everyone near. "You... I'm saving you for last. I want to take my time with you."

He wanted the cowards to pay, and his pet was taking to long for his liking. Irritation was starting to eat at Vlad. Patience wearing thin, he barked, "Stop messing around and kill them!"

DNA gazed back at the figure of Dan with a mixture of annoyance and hate imprinting on her face.

Lilith's eyes squinted as she watched the interaction between Dan and DNA. For the first time since the fight had begun, there seemed to be something about him that distracted her, and Lilith decided to observe the two more closely to see if anything could be used as an advantage.

Looking to her brother in law, she yelled, "Tucker!" His eyes went directly to her, the fear that glassed his eyes turned to confusion as he waited for her to continue. "Make sure Dad's okay, I have a plan!"

Dan's body looked down in amusement as the Vlad in control contemplated what she meant. _You have a plan, how cute. Children always think they know it all_.

Tucker jumped in front of Danny and socked the creature right in her bony jaw. While it threw her off balance, unfortunately, it didn't faze her for long. She was back in front of Tucker in a matter of seconds as her hot blazing breath crashed against his face. "Got another one in, ya cutie?"

Danielle grabbed her by her torn cloak and threw her at the wall of the crater, making her hit her head in the process. "Alternate me or not, he's still my man only, bitch!"

"Language!"

Danielle sent a hard glare to her dad, who was still scrambled on the floor covered in cuts, bruises and pain -he was almost the embodiment of death itself- with Tucker protecting him. "Really? We're trying to save your skin and now is the time, Dad?"

DNA peeled herself away from the crater wall. _"I'm angry!_ "

Danny phased through Tucker and Danielle as he knocked DNA back against the wall. "Hello Angry, I'm Dad."

Tucker brought a palm to his face in a hard smack, shaking his head from side to side. "Really dude? Now's not the time for that."

DNA growled at his words. _"No, you're all dead!_ " DNA rushed through them, leaving a trail of lethal smoke behind that left them gasping for breath. She released a crackle once more. "I'm sorry, my family relations have always been a little toxic."

Danny looked around as he gasped for breath to see that Lilith was nowhere in sight."Lilith!" Danny yelled as the air left his lungs.

She pressed one of her disgustingly long nails to her lips. "Shh, it will only hurt more if you talk. But, if you can't help yourself, please scream all you want." She raised her clawed hands and pierced both Tucker and Danielle, making sure not hit any vital areas and prematurely spoil her fun. They all screamed in pain as she had them pinned to the wall of the crater held in place by her long painful claws, as she twisted them, trying to amplify the pain each moment brought.

Her head tilted her head to the side, her beady red eyes rolling over the length of them. "You are all weak. You always were, and now I get to play with you all over again. Taking my toys apart one piece at a time. The hero, the fool." She gave a huge smile when looking at Danielle. "And the twin. All I'm missing is Daddy dearest and I would have the entire collection to play with again and again. Only this time I will make it last. Hours, days, weeks even. I will have so much fun again."

The wind began to mesh with Vlad's anger as it started to cocoon everyone in it. His gaze set on DNA, doing his best to keep his control over her. She was his to command. "You fool! I said finish them!"

This time DNA ignored Dan's words, instead focusing on her helpless victims. All of them were weak, unable to come to the two's matter how much they screamed, it was pointless. Happiness welled within; she hadn't had this much fun in so long. She wanted to feel their spines implode in her grasp as she gripped them tighter and tighter. She wanted to see the life slowly drain from their eyes. She wanted to feel their blood kiss her own skin as they turned to nothing once more, as they gasped for mercy.

Vlad knew he was losing her. His composure was beginning to wear thin. Summoning up all his energy buried deep in his stomach, he roared over the tumbling winds that rolled around them. "Do you hear me? I said kill them, _now!_ "

Lilith appeared in front of him seemingly from nowhere. "Ah yes, the time brat. Are you abandoning your family just to fix my watch or are you actually here to join us like you promised?" Before she could respond, Dan knocked her out from in front of him. "He doesn't need you anymore child, and neither do I." He lifted his hand to Lilith. "Do me a favor child. When you see Jack Fenton in the next life, tell him Vlad finally won!"

Lilith thought for a second, pondering his words. _Vlad_?

Dan fired his plasma blast, just missing Lilith as he was jolted by a pain to his side. Looking down, he saw Sam in her purple tech suit holding her signature cannon. "Not my daughter, you prick!"

Dan quickly fired a plasma blast at Sam, hitting the side of her leg which made her scream and fall to the ground. He watched as she gritted her teeth together in pain. For a few seconds, she was matted into the ground; blood and grime oozed out of her.

However, as Vlad knew already from past experience, Sam Manson never stayed down for long. As she moved to sit up, her hand clutched at the open wound his blast had caused. He was about to finish off the goth before she moved to stand, when he could feel pain all over his body.

It blossomed and spread throughout. Pain bit at ever nerve, creating an electrical fire to swim throughout. It was pain beyond imagination. _"What is happening!?"_

Lilith's voice could be heard as one of the many within Dan's crowded head, it soon drowned out all the voices that festered in his mind. "I'm clearing his mind of you!"

Lilith battled for dominance as she overshadowed Dan, and was using all her willpower to expel the Vlad that Dan had let take over. She wasn't going to let him go, not that easy. "Fight him, Dan! You're stronger than him."

But as strong as Dan was, Vlad had grown stronger with the more evil deeds Dan had done. "You fool! He uses my powers to make him stronger. Do you really think I forced myself into this prison! He trapped me! Now that I am finally in control again, this is my body now and my life! He made his choice long ago, and will not let some starry-eyed niece or some knocked up little tramp ruin it!"

Dan's voice broke through the clouded echoes of voices, giving away to the anger that was beginning to seep in. "What did you just call her?"

Vlad scoffed. "Oh, don't pretend like you actually cared. It was puppy love that was going to get you stuck with a kid that would have only disappointed you, and a woman who would scorn you like all the rest."

The growl Dan emitted was admitly scary, even to Vlad. He knew that he provoked the halfa. Vlad ignored the overwhelming fear of being exiled from the body. He would not let Dan take control again.

"Don't talk about them!"

But even with the fear floating around his veins, Vlad didn't stand down. Some may call him stupid, but he didn't care. He was going to come out on the other side of this, no matter what it took. "I'm glad they died, they would have held you back."

 _"Shut up!"_

Sam watched on as Dan's body radiated with blinding golden energy as the ground shook furiously below her. The sky began to flicker between the hallow grey that had been produced by Dan, and the normal light sky blue. The wind that circled around them threatened to die down along with it.

DNA looked up, letting her three victims loose as she gave a hollow smile. She took off towards Dan, arms stretched out in front of her as if ready to be engulfed into a big warm embrace. It was heart wrenching to watch. "Daddy!"

Vlad was done with this stupid halfa. He would take care of him. He would take control. "Dan, you were weak and always have been. Why I ever felt pity for you I will never understand. I used to think like everyone else, that your family and my Maddie died by accident."

His mind so fixated on Dan, unbeknownst to him, the creature raced towards him; excitement rattled her scrawny bones as she used all her speed. His words continued to flow from his mouth: "but I can clearly see that it was your arrogance that got them killed! You were never a hero! You killed them along with the tramp and that future illegitimate spawn!"

His hands went to the flames of hair on his head, trying to rip away the untouchable strands, trying to rid the voices inside his head to leave. Unknown to both ghosts, their body began to change as Dan did his best to force Vlad out. _"Get out of me, now!"_

With her eyes fixated on Dan, speeding towards him, DNA could see what looked like Vlad starting to develop from his being. Her eye shone with excitement. "Finally, I have you again!" DNA finally reached Dan, clinging to the forming Vlad Plasmius.

Everyone kept their distance as the nearly formed Vlad screamed in terror as he saw the demonic looking DNA try to pull him from Dan's being. The sight of the two being separated would never be forgotten as the skin was ripped apart. The flesh stuck together as a sharp tingle of piercing from nails through his skin broke through, causing Vlad to tremble in fear.

 _"No!_

 _No!"_

The need for acceptance at the sight of Vlad's appearance quickly ate at DNA's face. "What's the matter Daddy, don't you want to have some bonding time with your only daughter? Didn't you tell me how much you loved me?! How I was the only thing in the world that mattered to you. That all the torture and experiments were to help me! Well, Now I get to help you, father, for the rest of eternity!"

Finally, as Lilith was able to get enough control over Dan's body, she concentrated and was able to form the same black portal below them that DNA had first arrived from. "I don't need the others! I just need you."

The portal began to suck everything into it as the Fenton's once again held on to anything they could find as not to get sucked in. DNA then plunged her claws further into Dan's chest, phasing through to grab the remaining part of the long lost ghost half of Vlad that still tried to cling to Dan.

His attempts to cling to Dan became useless as DNA, upon catching and ripping the last of Vlad from Dan's body, allowed herself to be pulled back to her own world while trying to bring her beloved father with her.

As her claws dugged into his skin, Vlad shook her, trying to get her to release her grip. The agony that glossed over her soulless eyes didn't pierce his still heart. It never would. _"Let go of me! Let me go!"_

Vlad held out his free hand and grabbed on to one of the exposed pipes, hanging on for dear life as the portal began to close, forcing her to release her grip, with its monster trapped on the other side. As it finally closed, Vlad could see what looked like sorrow on the monster's twisted feature.

Lilith emerged from Dan to see her family still present.

As Danny caught his footing, he looked to where the portal had just opened up. He glanced around his family in utter disbelief as the now separated ghosts floated mid-air, both weak beyond measure from being ripped apart.

Looking to Lilith, he asked, "Did she rip the Vlad out of him?"

Vlad looked at himself. Now torn from Dan, his hand was clear and fading fast. He felt hollow, and not at all in the way his ghost form felt.

Dan looked down at Vlad, shame, and guilt rippling through him and planted in his fading red eyes; if one were to look, it looked as if they were almost becoming...green. "It really was a mistake to merge with you." Dan raised his hand once more. "Now, be reunited with my family in oblivion."

Lilith pushed Dan's arm out of the way, making his shot misfire. "Don't kill him!"

He held his hand out in front of him, pointing towards the fading Vlad, green ecto-energy threatening to spill over. "Look at him, he's dead already."

Lilith said, "Then why do you need to soak yourself in any more blood."

"It's what he deserves."

"Maybe... but you don't."

He studied her with a blend of doubt and wonder etched into his eyes. She stood strong in her belief in him and he had yet to understand why. "Why do you keep doing this. I'm more than willing to kill you, and the rest of your family."

Criss-crossing her arms over her chest, she offered him a gentle smile."You're family. You're a Fenton."

Dan looked at Lilith for a solid second, reading the sincerity written on her face. The standoff ran for what felt like hours as he contemplated her words. He knew in the deepest part of his mind that she was right, but really, what did it matter? He had nothing here. No one to love him. No family.

That moment, however, was ruined when Vlad phased through Lilith, re-entering Dan. Lilith fell to the ground, unconscious once more. He began to twitch and move in unnatural ways. "You're wrong, children. He is no one anymore."

* * *

The halls echoed like never before. The sound of clocks had been silenced. She knew it was a long shot asking for his help but after feeling the fixed point, she knew something bad was happening and she had a feeling it was too late to give Dan another warning to skip town. Still, she tried. Or rather, at least one of her tried.

But she still needed to know that she wasn't destroying the life she remembered and the family she loved, murderous uncles and all. Walking down the empty halls of the time chamber she was just unsure. Usually, there would be clocks and scrolls flying around at Clockwork's command, but as she approached his viewing chambers she heard not a single gear or click. Opening the large doors, she was what looked like Clockwork frozen in green amber and pointing to his viewing orb.

"What happened to you?"

Looking even further at the state of the room, she saw papers scattered about and the usually beautiful stained glass windows shattered. She again looked to Clockwork. "You don't do anything without a purpose, so if you knew you would be frozen, why would you point at the orb?"

Lilith walked over to it to see churning smoke inside, with a shadow being projected against the surface in the shape of a hand. Giving into the eye roll that she couldn't suppress, she huffed, rumpling her bangs. "Little on the nose, but I get it."

She placed her hand on the orb as she saw every different timeline and time branch that had, or will ever exist. When she removed her hand, her mind was flooded with so many thoughts. She finally understood.

Grabbing the trinket around her neck, she swiftly yanked it from her as it weighed in her hand. She eyed the metal in shock as the realization came crashing down around her. "These time powers didn't come from the medallion, they're natural."

 _In all those other timelines, Dan and I are the only Fentons to ever have Time manipulation. Not just that."_

Her throat constricted against her will -slowing down the air that was entering and exiting her lungs- as everything she thought she knew, came crashing around her. The bubble she had built around her life, her reality, was popped in only a matter of minutes.

 _This timeline is the only one I can see me in._

Her vision is blurred with tears as she continued to watch on the screen as timeline after timeline of DJ and Danielle being born, made, whatever— there were situations where DJ was the clone, while Danielle was born— but never once her. The sparks of a flame were ignited in her heart, slowly spreading throughout, engulfing vein by vein in an endless fire.

 _I'm the only Lilith Fenton in all the multiverses."_

* * *

Lilith's other half returned to her, causing her to wake once more to see Danny kneeling above her shoulder, still bleeding. All around them was a cyclone of dirt and debris. "Come on, sweetie. Whatever is happening to him, we need to take cover before he kills us all. We can fight him once we..."

"No. I need to speak with him."

"Are you insane! He'll kill you."

A tear fell down Lilith's face as it merged with the blood from one of her numerous cuts, moving to weakly sit up, she transformed. Through clenched teeth, she kneeled to stand as the pain rippled throughout Red beated her skin as a thick sheen of sweat started to drip. "I think I understand." With what little willpower she had, Lilith floated up to Dan.

Her stomach dropped as his sickly stuffy voice leaked through, causing Lilith to twitch uncontrollably at the powerful authority he held again. "Child, he is far beyond saving! Just accept your fate!"

Those words. After so long of not seeing her family. Not seeing her actual uncle. It had been building up for so long now. A dam had forged around her, sheltering all her emotions so that she could be mature and finish her mission like she was supposed to.

But that dam was breaking.

And Vlad was standing directly in its path.

" _Silence, Vlad_!"

Determination bounced in her eyes as her face set. She was going to get through to her uncle, no matter what. He would fight this. "Dan, all these years you have spent alone and heartbroken. Without the ones you loved and the ones who loved you. All those years just wanting that love back. I know you have seen my dad commit horrible things, but time can change."

The inner turmoil that flickered through Dan's eyes gave Lilith's heart a beat of hope. She knew he was fighting. He was finally fighting for his humanity. He wanted this, he wanted his humanity, no matter how much he had tried to deny it.

"You can change, and if you change your heart you can show all those other Danny's to do the same. The reason we all try to save you is that we don't just love the Danny that we know, we love you too. Every one of us has always loved you. I know why you cheated that day on the test. You were so stressed out from having to keep that secret!"

She cautiously floated closer to the struggling halfa. A wave hit her -not enough to knock her back, but not enough to push her away- as the overwhelming feeling of shame brushed past her skin. He felt guilty. _Maybe it's time I stop talking to this Dan, and start talking as if he's my Dan_. It's not too late. "I know you can fight this, uncle."

If he wasn't going to listen to reason, if she couldn't break through with acting like the adult everyone taught her to be, she would be the person her uncle had taught her to be: as a loveable, unpredictable goof. "We all love you, I love you, Dan Dan."

His body stilled. But his eyes didn't. Even as they looked at her, a straight, dead stare. But underneath that, everything that he had bottled up over the years rang clear.

"You thought Grandma and Grandpa wouldn't love you if you were a ghost. That's all wrong! They are proud of you for being the reason so many people lived when you were Danny Phantom. They love you, no matter what. You brought hope to our town and eventually saved the world! That is who you are and that is still what's inside you. That is what Izzy and Sam fell in love with. The man that would risk his life for a stranger, that kid who was so clueless he never saw the way people look at him, the boy his parents still love to this very day."

Vlad's control over Dan seemed to all but burn away. Tears ran down his face as the cyclone around him picked up speed. The battle in his eyes was wearing thin, and Dan was coming out victorious.

Even so, the guilt wouldn't melt away. "They died. They all died. I thought I had a second chance with Izzy but she was gunned down protecting her friend because I took things too far! She's dead because of me! I held her lifeless body in my arms. I knelt in a pool of her blood. Why do I deserve to be saved? She's dead because of me! I don't deserve a second chance."

The world around them was silent even in the roaring winds of the cyclone that surrounded them. Even the people that Lilith ordered to stand by now stood still on their own accord at Dan's omission of guilt. A heavyweight of guilt came crashing down around them, mixing in with the quiet of the air.

"Hey, clueless! Can a lady get an opinion in?!"

Dan peered down to see Izzy and Maddie standing in front of a hooded figure, with not a scratch or spec of blood to be seen. Her small baby bump peaked out from the jacket slung around her shoulders.

His breath broke into hiccups as he forced it out. His eyes widened as every nerve that lined the muscles of his body immediately became numbed. Everything around them blurred out of reality. She could not possibly be real. She was not standing there, next to Maddie, with an unknown person, looking as if the world wasn't going to shit around them.

 _"Izzy?!"_

A knowing smile pierced her lips. "How about you stop armagetting the place and get your dumb ass down here so I can slap you and hug you. And yes, in that exact order."

There were no words as the world fell silent. The storm Dan had been producing slowly lifted as the sky turned back to its normal blue and his black anger filled eyes soon followed. His weightless steps lightly carried him as he glided over to her.

The heavy beating in his chest rattled against the cage that had formed as he slowly descended into the crater to meet her. His lazy struts felt as if everything was in slow motion, even though he knew it wasn't.

However, that was the moment Vlad decided he wasn't going to stand down. He had to strike, and he would do it now. He wouldn't let all his work go up in flames, especially because of her. She would not be the reason for his undoing. _"No!_ I will not lose this body! After so long being your slave, I will not lose it to some knocked up tramp!"

In a desperate attempt to maintain his newfound power, Vlad's ghost half separated from Dan, knowing he would never willingly harm her. Because if she was alive, there was no need for him anymore, and without a human half of his own anymore he knew he would not last long on his own. He rushed toward Izzy with a sickly green plasma blade at the ready. _"I will not be lost to oblivion!"_

Right before Vlad could make an impact, Maddie stepped in front of Izzy, blocking Vlad's path, but in the process was pierced in her lower abdomen.

As Maddie collapsed to the cold ground, effectively blocking the blast from reaching Izzy. Everything slowed as blood pooled around Maddie. As her body met the ground, Danny and Dan screamed, _"Mom!"_

The fading Ghost of Vlad looked into Maddie's eyes with a regret etched on his face. "Maddie? Why?"

His last words echoed as he faded into nothing.

Izzy's eyes immediately sought out the halfa, finding her within seconds. The minute they locked, she broke out in a sprint as she called out for her. "Lilith!"

Lilith soon arrived and did her best to mend the wound and for a majority it did work. However, there was still something wrong. The outside of the wound may have been reverted, but Lilith did not fully understand how her time powers worked and could only undo so much.

As the Fentons gathered around Maddie, they heard massive footsteps approaching. Danny spun around to see Dan, hair no longer flaming, eyes no longer black, even his skin had reverted back to its pale tan. His eyes had finally reverted back to green.

He knelt down next to Maddie and placed his hand on her wound as his hand glow gold one last time. Both Dan and Maddie could feel the pain go away as all of Vlad's ghost actions on her had been undone. Dan lowered his head in shame but flinched as Maddie placed a hand on his cheek. He looked up to see her gentle smile that he had missed for so long.

Family.

"Welcome back, son."

Carefully rolling the healing huntress into his arms, gripping her to his chest, he offered what comfort he could bring as tears streaked down his cheeks. It went unnoticed by him as all members of the Fenton family watched the interaction between mother and son. "Why, why did you do that, why didn't you give up on me?"

A warm smile radiated from her as her gentle violet eyes gazed into his normal emerald eyes. _Her son._ "Because, I've said it before, this family will protect each other. Nothing else matters. It doesn't stop with time. It starts with the heart, and no matter what, you always have a place in ours. I would die for you, same as your dad. Same as your sister."

"I'm a monster Maddie, I've killed thousands. Why did you jump-"

She pressed a light finger to his lips. "She's your family. That makes her a part of ours, and we Fentons always protect each other. What you did in your past was just that: in your past. It's what you do now that makes a difference. You have a home here, if you want it." She grabbed his hand, pressing against his chest. "You feel that? That's your humanity wanting to come out, you just have to let it."

He was scared to admit how much he wanted that. To have a family again. Maybe she did care enough. But it still boggled his mind of how she could sacrifice herself so easily to make sure he was happy. Maybe, just maybe, if she found some worth in him, maybe he could do the same. Maybe they could be his family.

He shook his head, his soft white hair disrupting his vision. "But I'm... I'm not apart of this famil-"

Izzy bent down beside the two, the rubble digging into her knees, but she didn't pay much mind to it. "You clueless idiot. You are always apart of this family."

Clueless.

Wait.

What?

His head snapped up, uncertainty manifesting in his eyes. Blinking a few times, he adjusted his heightened hearing, thinking he had to have heard her incorrectly. "Wait, clueless? How do you... You never called me that, only Sam..."

She gave a careless shrug. "Personally, the gold eyes have a lot more glow to them, the periods suck though, but you get used to them."

His words became nothing more but a stuttering mush. With his jaw opened, he gawked at her. Her golden eyes held so much mirth; she was gleaming with unconditional happiness. "You can't be. You can't be my Sam. She died... How."

Izzy helped Maddie as moved to elevate herself from Dan's grasp. "Honestly, I think there's more to it than what I've been told, but what I do know is for sure is, you should have listened to your family when they said second chances are possible."

Breathlessly, the words tumbled out before he could stop them. "But I'm not good."

Izzy shook away his doubt. "That's up to you, Dan. It's your choice to make. Your path to choose. The Vlad in you is gone. The choice is completely yours to make."

Dan could not fathom all the thoughts that were racing through his head at the moment. In an instant, something broke within, and sobbed into Maddie and Izzy as the cries shuddered through his body. Everything that had been weighed on his shoulders over the past decade, with pain, lost, emptiness, it all collapsed and left, rolling down his back.

As the sobs started to subsied, he glanced back to Maddie, only giving a nod to her previous question. He didn't trust his voice as he knew the words had all but escaped him.

Looking around, he expected to see hate-filled faces but instead -at least everyone expect Danny, who had a weary expression written on his face that contrasted against all the others, but Dan understood- was welcomed with smiles and tears as one by one everyone said the words he longed to hear for over a decade.

He still had a family. After so many years, he wasn't alone.

"Welcome back, Danny."

* * *

Maddie looked around after Dan helped her up. "Danny, where's your father?"

Before anyone could even say anything, Dan jolted up. "Oh crap, that's right! Hey, Lilly, can you do me a favor?"

Lilith strolled over as Dan cupped his hand over her ear, and whispered. The pointed look he received was terrifying. "Really! Why there? Couldn't you have picked anywhere else?" He averted his eyes to the ground, kicking tiny rocks about as he remained silent.

Rolling her eyes and a shake in annoyance of her head, she stomped away as she mumbled over her shoulder "Ugh, fine. But I'm still new to this whole time traveling thing without my medallion. So if I'm not back in a few minutes, get Clockwork, please. "

Lilith opened a portal and entered. She was only gone for a few minutes when out of the portal came Lilith and Jack, wearing the last remains of his suit as a loincloth.

 _"Dad!"_

 _"Grandpa!"_

 _"Sexy!"_

All the Fenton children and grandchildren looked at Maddie in both shock and a slight bit of disgust. "What? Jazz came out 10 pounds 11 ozs. There's a reason I had another kid after her."

Dan froze in his thoughts. "I guess that explains-" A shiver ran up Dan's spine at the haunting memory. "-That timeline."

His voice boomed in happiness as he gathered his wife in his arms, lifting her off the ground and gave her a twirl. "Ah, Maddie, you should have been there. I hunted, I gathered and I even came across a Dino nest with eggs so big they could feed a grown man for a month. Man, that was a good week."

Once her feet were firmly planted on the ground, she released a glowing smile as she looked on at her family. "I think we can all say, we're just happy to have you back sweetie. Now, let's go home... Or at least Sam's home."

* * *

 **And that about does it. I can't believe this is basically the end. Now we just have to wrap this story up in a nice little bow. I shall see you guys Tuesday! Lots of love. Thank you for sticking through with me, and I can't wait for you guys to see the revisions that I make with this story. I'll have a date posted in the last chapter of when it will be finished and posted (It'll all be at once.) And I can't wait for you guys to read the third story that's coming out June 14th. Shoutout to my beta reader, silente faery!**


	30. Chapter 29

**Ch. 29! All shall be revealed. I hope you guys like it! Please leave a review if you would be so kind. Thank you for sticking through with me on this journey. The revisions should be out June 13th.**

* * *

The group walked out of the dirt and debris to see the town nearly deserted, there was a moment of quiet from the people who were still present before started crawling out of the woodwork. They were all caked with dirt and grime, but still very much alive. A few familiar faces could be spotted amongst the crowd, such as Mikey, Paulina, and Dash. They all erupted into cheers and began to applaud as their heroes rose from the literal ashes. The clapping sliced through any and all silence that had been there.

"Way to go, Danny!"

"You're my hero, Sam!"

But everyone fell silent once more when Dan stepped out of the crater. Whispers started to roam around the several dozens of citizens. Fear filled him as they studied him, taking in what stood before their gaze. The rattle of his heart drowned out the whisper of the wind that blew past. Not a breath could be heard, all was stilled.

"Let's hear it for the big brother!"

The hushed silence was smashed as everyone around began to shout and praised Dan. A tender smile once again graced his face and threatened never to leave. Izzy wrapped her arm around his waist, her golden honey eyes brimming with indesirable joy. "How does it feel, hero?"

Dan looked into Izzy's beautiful gleaming eyes. "It feels like home."

"We still need to talk, you know."

He only nodded, not trusting his voice enough to speak.

Danny glanced around, just happy that he had all his family back. He gripped Sam's hand when it accidentally brushed against her outer thigh and he felt a mixture of liquid sticky substance on his hand. He bolted his hand up looking to see blood dripping down his knuckles from the contact. "Sam, you have a huge wound on your thigh!"

She could only roll her eyes at the clueless ghost boy as a puff of air flew from her lips. "No crap, Sherlock! I wasn't going to bring it up right away, after all that happened."

Panic grew in his eyes as he scanned the area, looking for any medical help. He grabbed her waist, making sure to keep her upright. "Aren't you worried! I mean, it's huge!"

Knowing very well to stand on her own two feet, but wanting to calm the wicked storm forming in his electric eyes, she wrapped her arm around his shoulder in reassurance. "Nah, it will just leave an awesome scar though."

"That's not the point! You're hurt."

Figuring it was best to let him have this one she relented. "Fine, I'll go to the hospital." Her words are followed by mumbled cursed words towards the concerned halfa, but Danny knew it was all in play.

Lilith gave her mother a dirty look. "You know, I could help with that."

Sam gave a loose shrug. "Nah, it'll make a good story for you and your brother one day."

Running a hand through her hair, she gave in. It was her mom after all, and if she knew Sam Manson any, it was that she took everything in stride. "Heh, whatever."

Danielle chose that moment to pop up next to her sister and mom. "Mom, you're not right."

Grabbing her daughter, Sam drew Danielle into her side, giving her a tight squeeze. "Ah, sweetie, when are you going to learn that no one in this family is."

* * *

It had been a weird couple of days as the Fenton family got used to its new members. However something still needed to be done, well returned is more fitting. The family walked through the silent halls of the Clockworks residence. They made it to the observing room to see the time ghost's husk still encased in green amber.

Dan glanced at Lilith with a jumble of confusion and embarrassment forged in his emerald eyes as he examined the trapped ghost. "How do we return him. I don't even know if he's still alive. Would breaking an empty shell free really do anything?"

"Maybe I can answer that, Daniel."

The all to familiar voice filled the room, granting everyone to smile once more. Dan scanned the room, looking for any physical sign of the time ghost, but was. only met with the disembodied voice. "How? How did you survive? I thought I killed you when I absorbed your powers."

A heavy sigh could be heard throughout the room."Oh, I am so glad the Fenton children learn faster than their fathers. You can't take away my powers without taking me with. I allowed you to use me so I could work back your human half while you were having your fun. It wasn't easy bringing back a soul, it nearly cost me my afterlife, but in the end, it was worth it. Now, will you do me a favor and place a hand on that amber."

Dan walked over to the green amber and did as the time master instructed. The amber soon began to crack and burst out into shattered remains, causing everyone to raise their arms to shield themselves and allowing for Clockwork to emerge once more.

Bones cracked and realined as he stretched, alleviating the pain from standing still for so long. "Ah, it's nice to be back in my own body after so long but, honestly I know you were trying to impress her but did you have to choose shirts so unbearably tight. She's carrying your child I'm pretty sure you can wear a dang t-shirt that doesn't rip every time you pick up a nickel."

Lilith ran over to clockwork and immersed him into a long hug. He may not exactly be her uncle yet, but seeing him still swelled her heart with comfort. It took a moment or two, but he eventually returned the hug as he wrapped his own arms around her.

They soon pulled away, sarcasm swayed on his lips. "What, you act like you have never seen me before. Besides who has the time for all this sentiment- oh wait."

She gave him a famous Manson eye roll-as her dad would call it after Nana picked up the eye roll from her daughter- leaving him with a pointed look in its wake. Sometimes she and Nana would gang up on Danny for fun. "You are so ridiculous."

He gave a chortle that smoothed into a light sigh. "Time can only change so much, my dear. Now from that look in your eyes you have a question. I'm guessing it has to do with your very unique powers."

Her gaze found her shoes, for reasons unknown to her, she just couldn't look at the ghost. "How long have you know?"

His eyes moved past her, pondering the question for only a brief period of time. "Well, since the moment's you were born. You kept reliving your birth numerous times."

Sam sauntered over to Danny and playfully slapped him lightly on the face. His face twisted into confusion. "What was that for?"

Her hands flew to her hips, eyes narrowing in a challenge. "For apparently making me give birth repeatedly to the same child!" She held her words, and immediately twisted her body to face her daughter yet again. "Wait, Lily, what about DJ? Future me cannot catch a break."

Lilith repressed a laugh that wanted to break through, and instead lifted her hands in reassurance to her mom. "Trust me, you have nothing to worry about. Daniele Junior's birth goes along quite _speedily."_

However, that did little to comfort her dad, it seemed to only annoy him instead. Irritation drew at the end of his lips. "Oh come on, do we really need to name another child after me. Isn't it confusing enough as it is?"

Sam sent him a pointed look, stress overtaking her. "You know what, after the multiple births thing, you don't get a say in it anymore."

Clockwork sighed as they were getting off track."If we can get back to the subject at hand?"

Clockwork looked back to Lilith. "Long ago in the future," he ignored the dull huff of exasperation from his future apprentice, "I set a specific time in your medallion to go back to an old friend of mine. You sat with him and he told you a story."

He smiled as remembrance danced in her eyes at the mention of the time travel adventure, while everyone else sat in confusion.

"There was once a great spirit who desired a child. He had a son who was kind and wise. He loved his son so much he gave him a cloak that made him incredibly strong. The son was friends with the forest and all who lived in it but enemies came and set fire to the forest. The son felt responsible and killed the raiders. When the great spirit saw the blood on his son's hands he ripped the cloak in half and gave it to the descendant of one of the raiders his son killed. The son was banished in shame but the great spirit felt pity for him and let him keep his half of the cloak."

Lilith nodded, remembering the story all too well.

"Meanwhile, the descendant of the raider was grateful for the half of the cloak that was given to them and used their new power to keep peace among the rival tribes."

He gestured to his apreintence. "Lilith, you are that descendant. Dan, you are the son in the story. When your family died, or in the words of the story when your forest burnt down, you sought to make sure that your timeline was fixed by killing this Danny's family. However, fate had different plans for you and Danny defeated you back then."

Everyone remained still, obviously heading his words. Not a breath could be heard.

"Fate in this story is the Father or Great Spirit. When Danny defeated you and vowed not to cheat-something the other timeline Danny never did because they didn't understand the power they wield-even the good ones never truly understood their power, they never made the promise that you did because they never knew the universe rewarded his choice by giving him, Lilith."

The shock that blossomed and bloomed in her chest gave away, drowning her entire body.

"People always view the butterfly effect as a bad thing, you mess with a fixed point and it throws everything off titer and you get something bad in return. But that's not always the case, sometimes you can be given something good when something bad is changed."

His eyes went to her. "Lilith, the reason there are no timeline duplicates of you is because of the choice your father made. You are his gift for helping create the pure timeline we live in today, a balance if you were to say. That's where you get your powers from, well from what I speculate that is."

Clockwork then looked to Izzy. "You, my dear, have been touched by something wonderful. While it is rare to purple color eyes, to have gold eyes the way you do is completely unheard of, the way they shine is purely supernatural. You and Dan were always destined to be together, but it took something far beyond the power of this realm to do so. Never forget the gift you have been given you. You two are one half of a whole."

Clockwork now peeped over to Danny. "Are you ready?"

Danny's grin was constituted of pure joy, it seemed to be sprinkled into layers within his green eyes. He was almost bouncing where he stood. "Yup!"

Dan looked confused as he stared between the two. "Wait, ready for what?"

Without moments noticed Danny phased a time medallion through Dan's chest, then quickly removed his empty hand.

He doubled over in pain, almost falling to his knees. "Son of a bitch, that hurt!"

Danny chuckled slightly, receiving a glare from both Dan and Lilith. "Thay may not make us even, but damn if it's not a good start."

His lips curled into a sneer. "You're a little prick, you know that?"

He gave a nonchalant grin. "You wanted to be a part of the family, you gotta live with the punches that it comes with. Do you know how many times my dad accidentally shot me when we first worked together after my secret was revealed? _A lot!_ "

He turned his attention back to Clockwork. "What was that for?"

The time ghost lamented once more, tired of explaining everything. "You are still not supposed to exist. This will keep you from vanishing out of existence. And to have nature start going back to normal."

He jolted for a minute as pale arms encircled his waist before he realized that it was only Izzy, "But I don't understand, if I need this to stay alive then how have I been here this long without vanishing?"

Clockwork opened the hatch on his chest to show the deformed gears that loudly clang inside his being. "As I told beings before you, it came at a cost. However, I am no longer able to maintain you in this timeline and I surely wasn't going to stabilize you with a medallion when you were throwing your rage fits."

"Why would you do this? Why me especially."

Letting go of the nuisance that swam on his tongue, he lets a soft smile take its place on his lips instead. "Because Dan, there is always a bit of good in Danny Phantom, no matter what timeline you choose. That and something else..."

This grabbed everyone's attention.

"There is a storm coming soon that will change your lives, and if not taken care of, all the lives of both your earth and the ghost zone.. We are reaching the end of a very long game. We need every piece available, for now, the past does not matter, no matter how heinous, for the future may become a far worse place."

The silence weighed on everyone shoulders as they understood the severity of his words. Clockwork analyzed the small steps that Danielle took to her parents. It was only a small shift towards them, but it told him enough that she understood.

He released a kind smile as he steered to the exist. "Now, get going, I think you all need your rest after the events of today." Everyone nodded in agreement, and Lilith's family, saying their goodbye's to the sixteen-year-old- as they knew it was time for her to go home- started to leave until nothing but their fading figures could be seen.

She stood, facing her uncle, relief cradled her as she understood, it was finally time to go home. But one good glance at Clockwork's face, and she realized, she had one more thing left to do. "What now?" She recognized that she sounded like a five year with the whine that came from her mouth, but she didn't care. She just wanted to go home.

He held up a medallion, the glass reflecting the light that the orb produced. She could tell by the guilt that twisted on the surface of his eyes that he felt somewhat bad for not allowing her to go home yet. "Because I need to know of what's to come, and before you ask, no, you cannot use your powers alone, you still need a lot of training. The medallion will help guide your powers to use them correctly until you've fully mastered them. Think of this as your training wheels."

She groaned and caught the trinket as he tossed it to her. She was about halfway through the portal when a thought crossed her mind. She turned back to her uncle, an eyebrow raised in suspicion."Wait, is that why I'm your favorite? Because of what I represent?"

To anyone else, his face remained blank, a complete poker face. But to Lilith, she could see the little tug at the end of his lips. "I don't know what you're talking about, all three of you Fenton kids annoy me the same."

Her eyes slanted further together. "DJ and I haven't been born yet, technically." She deadpanned, a small smirk slutterin on her lips.

"Tamto-tomato. It's all the same with my job description."

* * *

Lilith watched on as Clockwork stood above the seeing orb, taking note of Danielle's immense strength, fresh after the defeat of shadow master in 2008. He looked to the future wondering what Danielle would become when he noticed that the thermos containing Dan had been missing.

Her lips curled into a soft smile.

She could _hear_ the worry fester in red eyes. "What is this?" His eyes squint in confusion at the scene that his orb was presenting him."This can't be right." His eyes shifted to his left to see an important artifact missing from its usual spot. Terror and dread began to fill him as he began to realize the severity of the situation. "Oh no."

She lets her voice ring out clearly, parting the shadows that hidden her with her ectoplasm eyes "Don't worry, uncle Clockwork." Her voice was different, even to her own ears. It still had the same light and young tone to it, but now it seemed to have grown a serious undertone to it. This whole mission had made her grow in ways she never thought possible. He turned and gasped as their eyes met.

"All is as it should be."

* * *

The sky in front of her turned white as she stepped into the portal and returned home, well one of her homes that was. The Fenton Works household. She breathed in the clean mint air that floated around. While it didn't look much different from the one Dan had torn down on her mission-grandpa and grandma were never ones for big changes-there was a familiarity about this house.

It was home.

She knew in reality, she had been only gone for a few short months-albite, her longest trip ever- and thanks to time placement, to her family it was only a few weeks, but to her, it felt like years since she had seen her actual family.

The first few people that got into their hugs were her parents and Danielle-who she was happy to see with a few grey hairs and wrinkles sprinkled about, it was so relaxing to see her sister's older face- then DJ wiggled his way into the group hug.

"Hey, it's our turn to hug our cousin."

She looked around to see a twenty- year -old and seventeen-year-old Jack-Jack and Kathy standing at the foot of the stairs. Both wore matching expressions of fake betrayal on their faces. Crossing the short distance between the two, she engulfed them into a tight, almost bone-crushing hug.

The moment they pull back, Jack-who was too much like his father, physically and mentally at times- decided to grab Lilith's head, tangling her hair along with his knuckles on a long overdue noogie. Kathy, who took more after her mother, tried to free Lilith from his torment, but was too late as Lilith took care of freeing herself after some struggle.

Smoothing out her clothing and hair, she looked to sister. Who was looking on in amusement: Yep, that was definitely her Danielle. "Where's Tucker and the kids?"

She moved to the couch, seating herself on a comfortable cushion. "Went to the movies. They didn't want to overwhelm you after you got back. They plan to take you out to Nasty Burger."

She smiled at the generosity of her nieces and nephews. That's when something dawned on her. She almost forgot.

There was someone else missing.

Dan.

Izzy appeared out of the entryway of the kitchen. A cup of hot chocolate in her hands. "He's in the kitchen. Please go talk to him. I love that goof with all my heart, but if I have to handle another minute of his pity party, I'll personally put him back in that thermos."

She laughed as she moved past her aunt, her eyes immediately finding Dan hunched over his tea. He sat at the table, trying his best not to look absurd holding a teacup that would look small even while being held by Nanna.

His head snapped up immediately at the sound of her footsteps entering the eating room."I take it you know now. You saw the man I used to be. I'm sorry you had to live through that, I would understand if you wanted some spa-" He was interrupted as she knocked him out of his chair, tackling him to the tile flooring. She gave him a hug so tight he thought his father was in front of him.

His breath instantly returned as his shoulders relaxed under her embrace, the tension rolling down his back in waves, instantly returning the hug. "You big idiot! All I did was miss you."

As they broke the hug, and seated themselves around the table, she took the teacup from his hands, taking a long sip of the sweet lemon tangy taste. She had missed the taste of her nana's mouthwatering drink. "So, I never asked you, well because you never knew back then, but how did you learn to heal Izzy? Back then you couldn't fully heal grandmas wound when Vlad's ghost half attacked her. How did you bring them back?"

Her face distorted into confusion. "What are you talking about? During the fight, I was with you while my duplicate was at Clockworks. I wouldn't have had enough power to split myself three ways let alone heal someone long dead."

"But she said that you were the first thing she saw when she woke up, you were wearing a purple robe with a gear on... it. Wait..."

* * *

Within the chambers, a young woman of the tender age of 23 stood, gazing into the orb as the scene played out. A gentle smile pulled at her lips as her amethyst eyes brimmed with joy at the sight.

"You cheated!"

She whipped around to see him in his adult form, clad in his cloak, his time staff in hands. She rose her hands as sparks of gold jumped her fingertips, almost plummeting to the ground before they evaporated into thin air before they could reach the its landing. "Yup."

"You also went back and reversed time, only for Izzy. Do you know how hard that is, separating time to reverse it for one person and keeping everyone else intact? You're lucky you didn't create a different timeline!"

Her lips stretched into a halfway smile. "She's my aunt, what was I supposed to do? Besides, it wasn't exactly a fixed point. Dan and Izzy balance each other out, they're supposed to be together. You may theorize that that was why she was brought back, but you and I both know better, it's not just a theory."

The twinkle in his eyes was her only response.

She left her post at the orb, shuffling to stand in front of Clockwork. "Now, can you please stop lecturing me? I'm exhausted from doing that. Had it been anyone else, I might've not been able to do it. Izzy's lucky that she's special."

"And you even borrowed my cloak!"

She took the edges of the cloak, spreading it out further as she gave a small twirl, ending in a deep curtsy. "Yep."

"I couldn't be any more proud."

* * *

Dan and Izzy stood together in the _Post Izzy Rampage apartment_ as he called it. After just getting back from Clockwork's and receiving his warning of a storm that was brewing, they all took off to their respective homes. One glance around the small apartment, and his lips pursed together, letting out a low whistle. "Wow, I guess you were really mad at me."

Dan explored the room even further to see one of her body pillows wearing Dan's shirt, one of the decorative katanas piercing the feathery mass. "Oh, my gosh woman! What the hell?"

Her chuckles are broken up into small chunks between words. "Oh yeah, the pillow... I had a lot of pent up energy after returning from the dead." She tried to smooth over her words with an innocent smile.

"No shit!"

Dan took a seat on one of her kitchen chairs. Izzy pulled up another chair and sat across from him, placing her hands on his knees. "Listen, Izzy, I realize how wrong I truly was thinking Danny was going to bad. I was selfish. The way we got together, the way we've been together, it's selfish. And you don't deserve that. You never did. "

Izzy looked around in response to his declaration of guilt, seeing the anger he had caused her. In her head, she knew he was right, but at the same time, he has always been her Danny, her one, and only Dan.

She interlocked their fingers, bring them to brush his knuckles against her lips. "You're right, I don't. But I see the fight in your eyes. I know that as long as your willing to fight for this, for us, we'll make this work. I found my way back to you, I'm not giving up a second chance with you."

He sighed at the feeling of her lips against his knuckles. "I still can't believe that you're here. That you're…. You know.."

"A reincarnation of your Sam?"

His breath died in his chest, only allowing him to nod.

She nodded in agreement herself. "I'm still taking it all in myself if I'm being honest, but it's getting easier by the day." Izzy stood from her chair, smiling and closed the small distance, kissing Dan on the forehead before heading for the door.

"Where are you going, sweetie?"

She looked over her shoulder, casting a reassuring smile. "Not anywhere very far or for very long. I just need to wrap my mind around things. We'll talk more once I'm back. Love you, stupid."

"Love you too."

* * *

Danielle once again sat on the hill that at this point might as well be named after them. She looked up at the stars contemplating how loss can change such kind-hearted people into something horrific. She also wondered what had become of her if she never found Her mom and dad. The thought of that horrific monster still lay in her head. Did she really have that inside of her?

"Hey kid, mind if I sit here?

Danielle looked up to see Izzy of all people. With the air now back to it's normal November chilly temperature, thanks to Dan now having the time medallion logged in his chest, they both wore their winter jackets, along with hats and mittens for protection.

She nodded, granting permission to the older woman. As she drew nearer, Danielle helped to support her, cushioning her way down, as to not to jostle the baby. "How did you know to come here?"

She shrugged as her vision moved out to watch the quiet town below. "I didn't, I always used to come here back when I was Sam, a little bit in this life too. It was always so peaceful, away from the city and the cars. You could just look up at the stars and think about life. So what have you staring up tonight?"

"It was that thing. I could have been so, so much worse off. If my parents hadn't taken me in I don't know how bad I could have been. I guess I'm just afraid that I might somehow..."

Izzy peered over at the young woman. "What, become the crypt keeper? No sweetie, If I know one thing is that we all get to choose who we want to be. There is no one on this earth who can change you besides you. It doesn't matter who you were before, it's who you are now that matters."

She sighed, tucking one knee under her chin while the other lay loose in front of her. "I guess you're right. So, what are your and Dan's plans now? I mean, where do you go from here?"

Her gaze moved to the stars in that twinkled in the night sky. "We've been talking about to Chicago for a while. I think Dan really needs to find himself, and honestly so do I. This whole two timeline's running through my head is hard to separate it sometimes. We'll visit often, of course, and eventually we'll be back, but for now, I think it's the best decision for us right now."

Danielle nodded, understanding that this was what the two needed. They'd find their way back. If there was one thing Danielle had learned through the two years, it was you could always come back home. You could always come back to family.

She raised her middle finger to the sky once more. "Fuck you, space Vlad!"

Izzy followed in suit, raising her finger to the sky as well. "Fuck you, ghost Vlad!"

* * *

 _Two years later:_

Church bells rang out clearly throughout the small town of Amity Park. Several dozen people were gathered just outside the church steps. Cheers erupted as the big wooden doors opened to reveal the two newly couple: Dan and Elizabeth Fenton.

"That's my uncle!" Lilith— who was visiting solely for the purpose of the wedding— glanced over to her sister, who was cheering so loudly to the point where she was honestly worried if the now eighteen year old was using her ghostly wail. She wasn't clapping, however, like the rest of the coward, seeing as her arms were occupied with a joyful two year old.

As the newlyweds made their way down the steps of the church, said two year old perked up at the sight of his parents. "Dada, mama." His stubby fingers pointed to the couple as his little lips lit up into a heartwarming smile.

Danielle shifted the two-year-old further around to the front of her hip, allowing him to have better access to see his parents. "Who's that Jack Jack, is that your Mommy and Daddy?" He gave a giggle as Danielle tickled his stomach. Taking his hand, she waves as the toddler's parents pass them, to which both Dan and Izzy blew a kiss to their little boy.

As Dan and Izzy took a seat on Izzy's motorcycle, Dan called over his shoulder. "We'll meet you guys at the reception. Be good for your cousin, buddy!" In response, Jack snuggled his head into the halfa's shoulder.

Danny, who stood on the other side of Danielle scoffed. "Right, because he'd be anything but good for you. I swear, you're his favorite." Danielle hummed in agreement with her dad, ignoring the jealousy that he harbored that his nephew liked his daughter more than him.

"Oh, stop dad, he loves you."

The only response that she received was an exaggerated eye roll.

Danielle lightly bumped her shoulder against her sister's, making sure not to jostle the two year to much. "So, all is as it should be?"

"Hey, that's my line!"

* * *

 **And that's all folks! Be on the lookout for the final instalment, the Ties That Free Us, which will focus once more on Danielle. It should be out June 14th. Hope to see you guys there! Love always! Shoutout to my beta reader, silente faery**


	31. Author Note

Okay, this will be the last author note that I will be posting in The Ties That Bind Us and Family Ties. (I want to make sure everyone knows) I have finished my revisions for The Ties That Bind Us. I'm sorry that it came out later than I anticipated, but with school starting up, (I do some summer courses at my college) I've been overloaded with stuff. Now that the first week is is over, I've got a more handle on things. Anyway. Please let me know what you think of the revision for the second story, I always appreciate the feedback. Even CONSTRUCTIVE criticism. Just leave a review and let me know. THANK YOU 3

I will see you guys tomorrow for the third book, The Ties That Free Us


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